The Dragon Trio
by Truth.In.Life
Summary: Watch Lily grow over the years as she matures and meets new people. ADOPTED FROM slytheringirlandproud
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Lily

"Now remember, don't mess with Peeves, don't leave your homework until the last minute, don't let your brothers wind you up, and steer clear of the Slytherins. Got all that?" Lily Potter sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes dad, I know, you already told me like, two thousand times. I'll be _fine_. I have James and Al to 'protect' me, remember?" she said, making little air-quotes with her fingers when she said the word "protect". Her brothers' idea of protection was to hex any guy that looked at her. Not that it happened much, as she was only eleven, and rather small for her age, making her look younger, but still. "And I can take care of myself."

"I know you can honey," said her dad, hugging her. Lily scowled. Whenever he said that she got the distinct impression that he was humoring her. She _could_ take care of herself! She had already taught herself some jinxes and hexes from her books, and though she couldn't practice with her wand until she was in school she knew the movements and incantations by heart.

"Harry, the train's about to leave!" called her mum, Ginny.

"Dad, I have to go!"

"Alright sweetheart, have fun! And be careful!" he called as she leapt onto the train and it began to move. She made her way down the train, looking for an empty compartment, and was immediately stopped by her brothers.

"Piss off," she said irritably. She wasn't in the mood to deal with James and Albus right now. James raised his eyebrows.

"Trust me Lils, if I could I would, but I can't. Dad told us to stick with you for the train ride."

"You can and you will," she growled. "And don't call me Lils!"

"Listen Lily, we don't like this anymore than you, but we can't do anything about it, so let's make the best of it. Why don't we find Hugo and you two can hang out?" asked Albus soothingly. Lily wasn't in the mood to be soothed.

"Because I hate Hugo, he's an idiot. I'm not sitting with him and I'm not sitting with you! Goodbye!" she said, and took off running down the corridor before they could react. She pelted into a compartment near the back of the train and caught a glimpse of a blonde boy before she climbed into the luggage rack saying quickly, "I'm not here, okay?" she hid herself behind the large trunk, thanking God for her small size, just before the door slid open.

"Oh, it's you," said James' voice coldly. "Have you seen our sister?" Whoever was in the compartment must have shaken his head, because James left without another word.

Lily climbed from her hiding place, watched by the bemused boy, and got a better look at him. He was older than she was, probably a third year, with a pointed face and bleach-blonde hair that fell into his grey eyes. He was muscular and athletic, maybe a Quidditch player she thought. "Wow," she said at last.

"What?"

"You're really hot," she said bluntly. "What's your name?" he looked rather taken aback. She was used to this, as she was always very blunt with things, and it had that effect on people for some reason. It made her seem open and honest while keeping the important things to herself.

"Um, Scorpius Malfoy."

"Oh, that's interesting. I'm Lily Potter."

"Oh. So you're their sister?" he asked, jerking his head towards the door.

"Yeah. Apparently my dad told them to stay with them on the train. It's very annoying," she said, sitting on the bench across from him and putting her feet on it. He frowned slightly.

"Don't you have some kind of warning to stay away from me or something? I mean, you are a Potter after all."

She shrugged. "Yeah, but honestly, who cares? Your father doesn't make you evil, just like mine doesn't make me a hero. We are not our ancestors; the past does not dictate our future. We are the new generation." He raised his eyebrows.

"That's pretty cool. Did you make it up?"

"No, I read it somewhere I think. I like it though; people are always trying to identify me by my father. I swear, I'll do something historic one day and people will only remember that 'Harry Potter's daughter did such-and-such'. It's bloody irritating," she said, scowling.

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, it is. I've gotten used to it, though."

"Well that's the saddest thing I've heard in a long time. If you don't like to something don't get used to it, change it! That's what I'm going to do, show everyone that I am _not _my father."

"Potter, Lily!" Lily grinned and trotted up to the stool, not nervous in the slightest. She wouldn't really mind being in any of the houses, though being in Gryffindor might be a bit annoying because that was the house her brothers, Freddie, Louis, and Roxanne were in. Ravenclaw would be nice, but she'd have to deal with Domieque, Molly and Lucy, and Rose. She sat down eagerly and Professor Longbottem placed the old hat on her head. It fell down over her eyes and her world was plunged into blackness.

"_What do we have here, another Potter is it? Well you're a difficult one to place, now aren't you?"_

_Am I? _She thought, knowing the hat could hear her. _That's good, right?_

"_Well I think so, but it does tend to annoy the more impatient ones. Now, we can rule out Hufflepuff, as you're not very kind or loyal to your family or hard working . . ."_

_I should take offense at that, but I actually kind of agree._

"_I just mean that you're not any kinder than the next person, not unkind_."

_Oh, all right then._

"_What, no plea to keep you out of Slytherin? I got one from your father and your brother . . . your eldest brother was so sure I was going to put him in Gryffindor he didn't even bother asking."_

_I don't care if I'm in Slytherin._

"_Don't you now? Well you would certainly do well . . . you're very cunning and ready to prove yourself, don't like to rely on other people, though you're also very brave and clever . . ."_

Suddenly Lily remembered her father's words at the station . . ._ steer clear of the Slytherins . . . _But Scorpius had been so nice, and he was alone, because of his name . . . _Screw them. _She told the hat forcefully. _Put me in Slytherin. _She could have sworn she heard it chuckle.

"_Finally, I get to put one of you where you belong. _SLYTHERIN!" it shouted the last word to the whole crowd and at first there was a shocked silence as she took off the hat and headed down to the table on the far left. Then Albus began to clap and the rest of the hall joined in, though not all that enthusiastically. She winked at James, whose mouth was hanging open in shock, and sat down next to Scorpius. He looked almost as shocked as James.

"Hi," she said as the sorting continued.

"You're in Slytherin."

"Yep."

"You're sitting next to me."

"Yep."

"You're a _Potter!_"

"What's your point?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You must be the first Potter in Slytherin since . . . since . . ."

"Since ever. I think I'm the first Potter ever to be in Slytherin."

"Wow."

"Well, it's better then Gryffindor."

"Most people would say anything is better then Slytherin."

"Well most people don't have two older brothers and some cousins in Gryffindor. Or a snotty cousin in Ravenclaw. Or think that Hufflepuffs are the most annoying people in the world," she stated matter-of-factly. "So, in the end, Slytherin is the best house for me." She watched Hugo get sorted into Hufflepuff, noting out of the corner of her eye that Scorpius was looking at her strangely. She snorted. "Figures he'd be in Hufflepuff. He's such an idiot, always tripping over his own feet to help people. Some people just aren't worth helping." Scorpius raised his eyebrows.

"You really are a Slytherin."

"No, duh. The hat doesn't sort people into whatever house they want, it will just take your choice into account and if you'd do well in that house, it puts you in it. Simple."

"Yeah . . . so why are you sitting with me?"

"Because I met you on the train and I like you, duh."

"I mean why me and not the other first years?" she shrugged.

"I share a dormitory and have all my classes with them. I can get to know them whenever I want."

"Is everything that simple to you?" he asked incredulously.

"No. Some things just aren't simple. Love, hate, good, evil, war, redemption. Those are all very complicated, but I think people tend to complicate simple things."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Ava

"Time to get on the train!" called her father, Dean Thomas to Ava and her sister Bethany (Beth for short) as he separated their little brothers, who were fighting again. Ava grabbed her trunk and pulled it on with her dad's help, and found an empty compartment quickly, as hardly anyone was on the train yet. She watched the people on the platform through the window, seeing the famous Harry Potter arrive with his wife and children. His eldest, James, had made quite an impression on Beth, she was always complaining about his pranks and immaturity in her letters home. Ava snorted at the thought. It was so obvious that she liked him. Ava's thoughts were interrupted by the compartment door sliding open to reveal none other than Beth.

"Oh, there you are. Listen Ava, I know we're sisters and stuff, but I can't have you hanging out with me at Hogwarts, okay? I'm a fifth year, you're just in first. If you need something, you can ask me, but basically just leave me alone, okay?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? You're the one who barged in here, I didn't do a thing." Beth looked affronted and left. "Have fun crushing on James!" Ava called after her, and she was sure she heard her mutter 'sisters!' under her breath. She turned back to the window with a satisfied smile. She sighed a bit as she looked at her reflection. Thick black hair that had somehow gotten her mother's sleekness (which she was forever grateful for), dark skin, though not as dark as her dad's, and dark brown eyes. Not bad, if a bit unoriginal. She focused on the scene outside the window again to see Harry Potter talking to his daughter, who looked exasperated. He was probably doing the whole over-protective-dad thing, after all it looked like it was her first year. What was her name? Lily? Yes, it was Lily. Her parents had gone to school with her dad, and still got Christmas letters. The train was beginning to move, and Lily jumped on in the nick of time.

She continued to look out the window, watching the countryside as the compartment filled with other first years. They talked about houses and Quidditch and such, filling in the muggle-born that was with them. Ava would occasionally give her opinion on something, but she mostly stayed quiet. They were nice, but she didn't really click with any of them.

"Thomas, Ava!" Ava went up to the stool and sat down nervously. Professor Longbottem placed the old hat on her head and it fell down over her eyes. She sat in the darkness for a minute, wondering what was supposed to happen, and jumped when a little voice sounded in her ear.

"_Well you're an easy one. Pity, I like the more interesting ones. It's either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, and though you can do well in school you don't really care, so it had better be _GRYFFINDOR! It shouted the last word to the crowd and it cheered as Ava took of the hat and hurried down to the table on the far right where she could see her sister cheering. She sat down with some other first years, listened to their conversation for a few minutes, but then tuned it out. They were boring.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Jade

"Listen, you can get on the train by yourself, right? I have to go soon."

"Yeah, mum, I'll be fine," replied Jade Summers, though she was a bit annoyed that her mother couldn't even clear her schedule long enough to see her only child off to a new boarding school, and a magic one at that. She shrugged it off, turning and making her way across the busy platform. She was used to it, her father hadn't even come to the station. She tossed her curly blonde hair over her shoulder and grabbed the end of her heavy trunk, attempting to hoist it onto the train. She dropped it painfully on her foot a couple times before a boy about thirteen years old came over to help.

"Here," he said, lifting it into the train for her. He was a bit short and skinny, with messy jet-black hair and bright green eyes. She thought he was dreamy.

"Thanks. What's your name?"

"Albus Potter. You?"

"Jade Summers."

"You a muggle-born?"

"Yep. I can't wait to learn magic! It's going to be so great!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll love it. My sister's in your year, maybe you'll make friends with her. I got to go, see you."

"See you!" she called after him. _I will. _She thought._ I'll make sure of it. _She got onto the train and found an empty compartment, thinking about the year ahead. She would be learning magic and everything that would come with it, and be with lots of people her own age. This was going to be fun! Sure, she would be away from her parents, but it wasn't like she saw them anyway. The compartment door slid open, revealing a short boy about her age with very short brown hair and big, scared brown eyes.

"C-can I s-sit here?" he stuttered.

"Sure!" She said cheerfully. "I'm Jade Summers!" He wasn't her type, but he seemed nice enough. What was she going to do, say 'no, you can't, go find another compartment'?

"I-I'm Andrew D-Dudeck." She started talking to him animatedly about many things. School, houses, Albus, Quidditch, (she had read as much as she could about the wizarding world before she came), grades, Albus, books, chocolate, and Albus were just a few of the subjects she hit upon. He didn't say much, just nodded occasionally, and she was fine with that.

"Summers, Jade!" Jade trotted up to the stool happily, relieved that all you had to do was put on a hat, and sat down. The hat was placed on her head, falling over her eyes, and she jumped about a foot in the air when she heard a small voice in her ear.

"_A muggle-born, ay? Haven't had that many this year, and they are interesting to sort."_

_Oh, you talk do you?_ She said to it in her head. She figured it would make sense, a hat that read minds to see where they belong. _That's awesome! Why are muggle-borns interesting?_

"_Well, they don't have pre-made biases against certain houses. It gives me much more room to work. Now let's see . . . you figured out that I read minds, and you asked about my muggle-born comment . . . you'd do well in . . ._RAVENCLAW!" She smiled happily as she made her way down to the blue and bronze table among loud applause. She sat down with some other first years and began to talk. It was going to be a good


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Of New Friends and Secret Societies

_Ava's POV:_

I walked quickly down the hallway, book bag over my shoulder. I was going to be late for class. Again. My thoughts elsewhere, I didn't notice the redhead coming down the hallway in the other direction, or the blonde coming down the intercepting one on my right. We collided with a crash and fell backwards painfully.

"Watch where you're going!" I snapped as I picked myself up. The redhead, who I recognized as Lily Potter, raised an eyebrow at me coolly.

"I could say the same to you," she said calmly. This only served to irritate me more. I wished she would get mad right back at me, instead of that infuriating coolness.

"Oh, shut up Potter." The tall blonde rolled her bright blue eyes.

"Impressive comeback," she said sarcastically. "Hey, do either of you have friends yet?" she asked suddenly.

"Not really," I said as Lily shook her head. I got along okay with the girls in my dorm, but they were still boring.

"Great!" said the blonde with a bright smile. "I'm Jade Summers, meet me at the Ravenclaw table at dinner, okay?" without waiting for them to respond she turned around and hurried down the hallway. Lily and I looked at each other and shrugged. Might as well. Lily left after the blonde girl and I went to class, hoping I wasn't _that _late. None of us had any idea what an amazing friendship would spring from three late first years running into each other.

I sat down next to the blonde, Jade, she said her name was. "So why am I here?"

"Wait for Lily, then I'll explain, what's your name by the way?"

"Ava Thomas."

"Explain what?" asked Lily, sitting down on my other side.

"Oh good, you're here!" said Jade brightly. She seemed to do everything brightly. "We're going to be friends!" Lily raised an eyebrow.

"And you just decided that?"

"Well, why don't you guys have friends yet?"

"The girls in my dorm are boring," I explained.

"The ones in mine are antisocial. I kind of am too, but not that much."

"And the ones in mine are intimidated! I talk a lot, I think it scares them. So it's perfect! Lily and I aren't boring, Ava and I aren't antisocial, and you two aren't intimidated!" she said without taking a breath.

"Okay, that makes sense. I do like you guys, we could be friends," I said. It would be nice to have a little group like that. I had always had friends, but it was always one friend in first period, another in second, and another in my neighborhood. They never knew each other except through me. Lily shrugged.

"Alright then. Do you always talk like that?" she asked.

"Like what?"

"Like you have an exclamation point at the end of every sentence."

"Yeah pretty much! Hey, since we're all in different houses we'll need somewhere to meet! Got any ideas?" I shook my head, but Lily nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about where everyone can hear. Let's go somewhere else." We nodded and she led us out of the hall, into a deserted corridor. "Well, here's as good a place as any. Okay," she said, turning to us. "What I'm going to tell you, you can not repeat to anyone. Not your friends, not your parents, not your siblings. Got it?" We nodded, and I wondered what could be such an important secret. "We are going to meet in the Room of Requirement." I had no idea what she was talking about, but Jade gasped.

"You mean you know where it is?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah, my dad told me. How do you know about it?"

"I read about it in _Hogwarts: a History_." Lily's eyes widened.

"You mean you actually read that? All of it?"

"Yep! It was very informative, I liked it a lot!"

"Oh, sweet Merlin!" cried Lily. "It's a _peppy _Aunt Hermione!" Watching the exchange, I was beginning to get annoyed.

"Will someone _please_ tell me what on earth you two are talking about?"

"Oh yeah," said Lily. "The Room of Requirement. You walk back and forth in front of this stretch of wall thinking about what you need and it gives it to you. It can give you anything you need or want except food, but it can make a secret passage to the kitchens I think. Hardly anybody knows about it, and even fewer know where it is."

"But Lily," said Jade suddenly. "If your dad told you about it won't your brothers know?"

"Nope," she said happily, showing real emotion for the first time since I met her. "Dad gave all us kids something different when we went to Hogwarts. He gave James his invisibility cloak, Albus the Marauders Map, and me the location of the Room of Requirement. I used to think I got the worst one, but now I'm not so sure."

"Great!" said Jade, practically jumping up and down. It was amazing how much energy she had. "So where is it?"

"I'm not going to just tell you!" said Lily; as if it was the most ridiculous idea she had ever heard. "We're all going to swear on our most prized possession, and if one of us tells anyone else about it, the other two will personally destroy whatever it is." I had to hand it to the girl; it was a pretty clever idea. No, not clever. Cunning, and maybe a bit twisted, coming from the mind of an eleven year old. She was a Slytherin, after all.

"Alright then," I agreed. I had no intention of telling anyone our secret, I rather enjoyed having them. "I'll start. I, Ava Thomas, swear on my chess set, that's been passed down through my family for generations, that I will never tell anyone other than Jade Summers and Lily Potter the location of the Room of Requirement, or about anything that goes on in said room," I said, putting one hand over my heart and raising the other on my hip (or lack there of, as I was eleven). Jade giggled.

"That's an interesting pose." I shrugged.

"I thought that if we have our own meeting place we might as well have our own pose to swear things."

"I like it!" said Jade, still giggling, and Lily nodded her approval.

"I'll go next!" Jade said, and struck the same pose. "I, Jade Summers, swear on my book, _The Blue Castle, _which my best friend gave me right before she moved away, that I will never tell anyone other than Lily Potter and Ava Thomas the location of the Room of Requirement, or about anything that goes on in said room."

"Good," said Lily with a short nod. "I guess it's my turn now. I, Lily Potter, swear on my golden locket, that once belonged to the late Lily Evans Potter, that I will never tell anyone other than Ava Thomas and Jade Summers the location of the Room of Requirement, or about anything that goes on in said room."

"Sweet!" I exclaimed. "Do we have like, a club now?"

"Sure!" said Jade at once. Lily considered for a minute.

"Well," she said slowly. "I like the idea, but I think 'club' sounds too much like what I used to do with my cousins when I was little. Get together every day for a week and then forget about it. Let's call a secret group."

"No, a secret society!" said Jade excitedly.

"I like it. When are you going to show us the Room of Requirement, Lily?"

"Not right now," she said decisively. "It's too late; we won't be able to get there and back before curfew. Tomorrow's Saturday, meet me right after breakfast in the seventh floor corridor in front of the tapestry of the idiot trying to train trolls. You know the one?" we both nodded. After a week at Hogwarts we knew it pretty well. "Good. Now we don't want people to be able to know what we're talking about, so when you talk about it just say 'the meeting place' okay? We'll think of a better name tomorrow. Goodnight." And with that she left.

"Goodnight!" Jade called after her. I could swear I _felt _Lily rolling her eyes.

"I should be going too," I said to Jade.

"Yeah, me too! I can't wait 'till tomorrow!" she flashed a dazzling smile and left, practically skipping. I headed in the same direction, but not as quickly. For once I was glad that I had been late for class. They were complete opposites, Jade and Lily. Jade was . . . _bouncy_, energetic, almost hyper. Well, actually, yeah, she was hyper. She talked at every chance she got, speaking quickly and using many extra words. Lily wasn't quiet exactly, she just didn't talk unless she had something important to say, and then chose her words carefully, expressing herself well, but using as few words as possible. One thing was for sure, neither of them were boring.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Of Laughing and Hidden Rooms

_Lily's POV:_

I yawned and rolled out of bed, stretching and bending my neck so that it cracked satisfyingly. It was a bit gross, but we all have our vices. The other girls in my dorm were still asleep, and I glanced at the clock to see that it was 7:30 A.M., pretty early to be up on a Saturday. I pulled on my robes and made my way down to breakfast, thinking about what I was going to do today. It was odd, showing the Room of Requirement to two girls that I had only known for a day, but it just seemed _right_. I wasn't usually one to go on instinct, but there was something telling me to trust these girls.

I ate a quick breakfast and went up to the corridor where the Room of Requirement to wait for Ava and Jade. I didn't have to wait long for Jade; she came skipping down the corridor a few minutes after I got there. Yes, _skipping_.

"Hi!" she said happily. "So I guess we're just waiting for Ava! Oh my god, there's this one guy in our year, and one of the girls in my dorm totally has a crush on him, and she's always trying to hide it but it's so obvious, I don't know why she even bothers!" She continued like this, talking about how obvious it was and what an idiot the guy was anyway. I listened, as there was nothing else to do. It was amazing how much she could talk about one subject. After about ten minutes she stopped and asked me if there were any cute guys in my house. I was a bit taken aback at the question. I had known people like her before, and most just kept on talking, not caring what the other person had to say.

"A couple are okay, but none are dreamy." _Except for Scorpius._ I added in my head. There was no way I was going to tell her that. After all, I didn't like him in that way, even if he _was_ hot. Really, really hot.

"Hey guys, am I late?" asked Ava, trotting down the corridor. I shrugged.

"It's not like we set a time."

"Cool. So why are we here?"

"Because this is where the Room of Requirement is." She looked around.

"I don't see anything. Is it behind the tapestry or something?" I rolled my eyes.

"No. You walk back and forth in front of the wall thinking about what kind of room we need, a door appears and through it is the room. I don't know if we have to all think the same thing or not, so let's all think _'we need a place to meet',_ okay?" They nodded and we began walking back and forth. On our third turn a highly polished door appeared in the previously empty wall.

"Cool," said Ava, sounding impressed. She opened the door and walked in. Jade and I followed behind into a relatively large room decked out in all the house colors, excluding Hufflepuff. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace in the far wall, with three armchairs in front of it. One was a bright blue and had _Jade _written on it in bronze, another was deep red with _Ava _written in gold, and the last one was a deep forest green with my name on it in silver. It was as if we each had our own walls, and then a mutual one with the fireplace in it. There was a blue and bronze one filled with book cases for Jade, a red and gold one covered in Quidditch memorabilia, and a green and silver one with rolls of clean parchment, new quills, different colored inks, and muggle pencils.

We all looked at their walls with awe, and then turned to each other.

"So you're in to Quidditch?" Jade asked Ava. I rolled my eyes again. _Duh._

"Yeah, I love it! You guys play?" I shrugged.

"Every once in a while. My brothers are bit obsessed, and my mom used to play professionally. Mostly I just watch."

"I'm not really interested at all! I'm a muggle-born, for one, so I didn't grow up with it, even though I know the rules and stuff, 'cause I read about it before a came. I always thought sports were more of a guy thing, but I did do a bit of cheerleading at my old school!"

"What's cheerleading?" I asked. _Must be some muggle thing_. To my surprise, Ava was the one that answered.

"It's where pretty girls dress up in skimpy clothes and do splits and stuff to cheer for their team at sporting events. My dad is muggle-born, and he likes to watch football, which has cheerleaders." I nodded in response.

"So you like to draw?" asked Ava. I nodded.

"Yeah." I loved to draw. I could sit for an hour to get the lines and angles just right. I was crap at textures, but I loved shadows and shapes. It gave me an amazing sense of accomplishment to see a finished piece, and know that I made it. Especially since neither my brothers nor parents could draw at all, or any of my cousins or aunts and uncles. My favorite materiel was muggle pencils; I loved how I could make sharp edges and soft shadows, all with the same tool.

"What, no comments about my wall?" asked Jade cheerfully.

"Well it's not exactly a shock," I pointed out. "We already know you're a nut because you're one of the two people I know that have read _Hogwarts: a History._" She didn't seem to be offended at all by being called a nut.

"Oh, okay! I think we should go over to the mutual space and talk about our society and ourselves and stuff!"

"Okay," said Ava, and I nodded. We sat down in our respective armchairs, Ava flopped across hers with her feet hanging over one of the arms, Jade bounced up and down slightly, and I pulled my feet up in the chair, curling into a protective ball. I don't know why, but it always made me feel more comfortable to be . . . close to myself I guess you could say. My arms or legs crossed, or, like then, curled into a ball.

"Well, I guess we can start with me, since it was my idea! I'm Jade Ann Summers, named for my birthstone and my Aunt. My parents are Mark and Rebecca Summers, I don't know my mother's maiden name. I'm an only child, my parents work all the time and I never see them," she said, scowling and showing negative emotion for the first time since I met her. "They didn't even take the time to see me off, my mother just made sure I got on the platform alright. My favorite subject is Herbology, but I do well in all the classes except for potions, which I suck at. I love to read, obsess over boys, and talk."

"Cool. I'll go next," Ava volunteered. "I'm Ava Lavender Thomas, named just 'cause it's cool and for my mum. My parents are Dean and Lavender Thomas, my mum's maiden name is Brown. I have an older sister in her fifth year that's alright; we pretty much just leave each other alone, and two younger brothers, nine and seven years old, who are always fighting with each other, and used to fight with me until I showed them that yes, I can kick their butts, and they had better leave me alone. My parents are cool, but they're usually busy with my brothers and stuff, so they let me do my own thing, which I'm pretty much fine with, and they know nothing going on in my life. My favorite subject is Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I do well in everything except for Herbology, which is annoying. I love playing Quidditch, danger, and gossip magazines."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "You read gossip magazines? You seem like such a tomboy!" I don't know how I knew that. After all, the only thing that I had seen that pointed to that was her being obsessed with Quidditch, and that doesn't guaranty that she's a tomboy. I always had a knack for knowing things about people that I shouldn't. She shrugged.

"I am, mostly. I just really like gossip magazines."

"You said your mum was Lavender Brown?" I asked, struck by a sudden inspiration. She nodded.

"Yeah, why?" I could feel a rather evil grin spreading across my face.

"Next time you see her, call her 'Lav-Lav'. And I'm not saying any more," I said firmly before she could ask. She pouted and I laughed again. It was then that it struck me that I was _laughing_. I normally didn't laugh much at all. My dad or brothers or cousins would often try to make me laugh, my dad mostly, but it wouldn't work. Mum would say it was because that was 'guy humor', and this was 'girl humor', but I didn't think so. There's something about these girls, like we're _destined_ to be friends. That sounds stupid, but I really believe it.

"It's your turn Lily," prompted Jade.

"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath. "I'm Lily Luna Potter, named for my late grandmother and a family friend." I suppose most people would have said 'a close family friend', but it's pretty obvious that she's close if they named their daughter after her. "Yes, my parents are Harry Potter, savior of the whole bloody world, and Ginny Weasley Potter. No, I'm not them and I don't want to be. I have two irritating and over protective brothers, one in his fifth year and the other in his third. My parents try to understand me but can't, we just think differently, and they think they know what's going on in my life but really don't. My favorite subject is Potions. I do pretty well in the others except for History of Magic, as I never pay attention. I love drawing, muggle music, and secrets." It felt odd to be pouring out my heart like that. Sure I wasn't telling them my deepest darkest secrets, but in a way I was. I had never told anyone these things, not even my parents. Who am I kidding, _especially_ not my parents.

Ava laughed. "Well, would you look at us? Three eleven year old girls in a secret room, a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw, and a Slytherin, becoming best of friends when the only thing we have in common is screwed up relationships with our parents. The only thing that could make this any weirder was if Lily was a pureblood!" That struck me as hilarious for some reason, and I laughed harder than I ever had in my life. Jade and Ava did the same, and soon we had all fallen out of our chairs and on to the floor, laughing until our sides hurt and we were gasping for air.

"And really weird senses of humor," I said as I climbed back into my chair, sending us all into a fit of giggles again. Once we had calmed down I grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill from my wall. "We need a name."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Of Names and Brothers

_Jade's POV:_

"There's three of us, we _have _to be 'The Something Trio'," declared Ava. Lily nodded.

"Yes, but the _what_ trio? My dad and his friends are 'The Golden Trio', how lame is that?" Ava and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, totally lame! What about using some sort of magical creature?" I suggested. It was so awesome, those animals being real in this world! "We can be like 'The Unicorn Trio' or something." Lily made a face.

"I like the creature idea, but not unicorns. How about 'The Dragon Trio'?"

"Yeah, that's great! I think Ava is most like the Chinese Fireball, aggressive but tolerant of people she knows, Lily's like the Peruvian Vipertooth, small but dangerous, and I'm like the Antipodean Opaleye, not aggressive unless pushed!" I said excitedly. Lily nodded and Ava said,

"Cool."

"Did you just know all that off the top of your head?" asked Lily.

"Yep! I practically memorized all the schoolbooks before I came! 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is my favorite!"

"Yeah . . ." said Ava, looking a little disturbed at my announcement. A lot of people had that reaction. "Listen, I'm kind of hungry. Want to go have lunch?"

"Yeah, let's!" I said, jumping up from my chair. "And let's get some food and have a picnic outside, because it's a great day and if we sit at the Ravenclaw or Gryffindor table Lily would be murdered!"

"What's everyone's problem with Slytherins?" Lily asked sourly as we went out the door and started down to the Great Hall. "I mean, I know they're idiots, but as they are shouldn't they take me being in Slytherin as proof that they're not that bad?" I giggled.

"I think they might take it as proof that you're evil!" She growled and shoved me playfully.

"What do you mean, 'I know they're idiots?" asked Ava. "Who're idiots?"

"Humanity in general."

"Ah, our own little misanthrope!" I said, putting a hand to my chest in mock fondness.

"What's a misanthrope?"

"Someone who hates humans," I explained. "A bit hypocritical, considering you are a human," I pointed out to Lily. She frowned.

"Not really. I don't hate _all _humans, just most of them. I don't hate you guys."

"Good thing that," said Ava. "No offense or anything, but you're slightly creepy." Lily shrugged.

"I get that a lot. I have no idea what it is though."

"I think it's the voice," I said thoughtfully. "Like, when we swore not to tell anyone about the you-know-what, it wasn't just words. You were so ready to destroy our most prized possessions."

"I don't make empty threats."

"Yeah, that's what's creepy. You know, 'cause most people our age do. You mean every word you say, and it's rather disturbing at times," said Ava.

_Nicknames. _Said The Voice.

I should probably explain. The Voice is a voice in my head that pops up from time to time. It gives me ideas, advice, or sometimes tells me not to break the rules. I know it's not normal, and that most people don't have one, but I'm used to it. It's been there ever since I could remember. It was one of the reasons I was always so obedient as a child. I thought it was my conscience. It's not. I asked it once, and it said that it wasn't, because a conscience tells you to do what's right, and it just tells me to follow rules. There's a difference sometimes. Also, it said, a conscience was more of a feeling, not a voice. I asked it if that meant I was crazy, and it said yes, to some extent. I didn't get a chance to ask what it meant, because my mother started talking to me. I never bothered to ask after that, I figured it just meant that I was a bit crazy, but not enough to be locked up in the loony bin.

_Great idea! _I responded to The Voice.

_Of course it is. _Said The Voice smugly, before going back into my sub-consciousness or wherever it goes when it's not around. Maybe it goes into the heads of other crazy people.

"I think we should have nicknames!" I told the other two. They gave me weird looks for this apparently random announcement, but nodded.

"I think we should call Ava Fireball, you Opaleye, and me Vipertooth," suggested Lily.

"I like it, but they're a bit long," said Ava. "Why don't we call Jade Opal, you Viper, and me Fire?"

"That sounds great!" I said excitedly as we arrived at the Great Hall. We were immediately assaulted by four fifth years, one of whom looked a lot like Albus, except with hazel eyes, dark red hair, and a cocky smirk. Lily had said she had two older brothers; this must be the other one. The other three, a tall brunette, shorter blonde, and a medium redhead, glanced at Lily before turning back to her brother.

"We'll go on ahead James, catch up after you talk to Lily," said the redhead, who I noticed was rather handsome, though nowhere near as dreamy as Albus. Lily's brother, who I guessed was named James, nodded.

"Yeah Freddie, be right there." He turned to Lily. "Where the hell have you been? We couldn't find you anywhere, and Al couldn't find you on the map!"

"None of your business!" snapped Lily. I realized I had never seen her mad before. I got the feeling James was the only person in the world who could break past her cool demeanor and make her really angry. I exchanged a nervous look with Ava, hoping James didn't say anything too stupid.

"It is to my business! You're my baby sister, it's my job to protect you!" I winced. That was precisely the wrong thing to say. Lily glared at him, and he seemed to realize his mistake, paling rapidly.

"'Protect me'?" repeated Lily in a highly dangerous, silky smooth voice. James shrunk back visibly. I didn't blame him, I would have too, but it was odd seeing a fifth year cower under the furious gaze of his first year sister. A chill ran down my spine at the thought of what this meant. What could she do? A glance at Ava told me she was having the same thoughts. Suddenly, Albus emerged from the large oak doors that lead to the grounds. He looked between James and Lily and let out an exasperated groan.

"Oh James, what did you say? She's got that glint in her eye again! Remember what happened last time?" He turned to Lily. "Can he go?" She gave a quick nod.

"Go then, James. Play your games, have your fun. But watch your back." With that ominous warning, she turned on her heel and went out the doors to the grounds. Ava and I looked at each other and followed.

"Bye Albus!" I said with a wink.

"Yeah. Jade, right? So you really did make friends with my little sister." I grinned at him as I went through the doors after Ava. I saw her headed towards Lily, who was sitting at the edge of the lake near a beech tree.

"So, what about food?" I asked as a plopped down a moment after Ava.

"Oh, that's easy," said Lily. "Kreacher!" she called. A strange creature appeared in front of us with a loud crack. It had large ears with a lot of white hair growing out of them, a snout-like nose and was very short, only a couple feet tall, standing on two legs.

"What is it?" I whispered to Ava.

"A house-elf. Like a servant, except they really like work and don't want to be paid."

"Oh," I said a bit confused. Why would they like to work? I guessed it's like how some animals like food that is gross to us. Lily was talking to the house-elf; I think she called it Kreacher.

"Can you get us some food from the kitchens please Kreacher?"

"Of course," said Kreacher, bowing low. "It is Kreacher's greatest pleasure to serve the most noble house of Potter. What is Mistress Lily and her friends wanting?" She glanced at us.

"What do you want?" I shrugged.

"Anything, really."

"You Fire?"

"Some kind of sandwich. I don't care what kind; it just needs to be a sandwich."

"You heard them Kreacher. A selection of sandwiches please." He bowed again and disappeared with a crack.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Of Dirt and Mind Games

_Lily's POV:_

Kreacher came back with the sandwiches a minute later, we thanked him and he left again.

"So, what did you do last time?" asked Ava.

"I set his broom on fire," I said casually, picking out a tuna salad sandwich from the platter. "I made it look like accidental magic so I didn't get punished."

"Made it look like accidental magic? So it wasn't? You set it on fire the muggle way?" asked Ava. I shook my head, smirking.

"It was magic, but it was in no way accidental."

"You're a bit evil you know," said Jade conversationally, munching on a chicken sandwich.

"Not really. I don't do things for the express reason of hurting people, but you don't want to get me mad." Jade nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense. So what are you going to do this time?" I sat back against the beech tree we were under, thinking as I watched the bright yellow leaves. I suddenly let out a cackle of laughter that sounded a bit insane even to me and made the people nearby glance over nervously.

"I'm going to drive him insane," I announced.

"What do you mean?" asked Ava, her mouth full of a ham and cheese sandwich. I made a face at her.

"Can't you swallow before you talk? I'm going to do nothing, just give him evil smiles, and let him sweat thinking about what I'm going to do. Then, when he figures out I'm just playing with him and thinks he's safe, I'll do something to his hair." Ava raised her eyebrows.

"His hair? Shouldn't you do something a bit better? Like something to do with the Forbidden Forest or the Womping Willow!" Her eyes lit up in a way that was slightly disturbing considering what she was talking about. Oh well, she was a Gryffindor after all.

"I don't want to seriously hurt him. He's in love with his hair; I'll change the color or something. Not bald, because it was just words, not a prank or anything."

"Do you have like a chart where you gage the seriousness of his offenses or something?" asked Jade curiously.

"No, but that's a good idea," I said thoughtfully, pulling my spiral bound notebook from a pocket of my robes. It was about four by six with a shimmering, iridescent cover that changed colors slowly.

"What's that?" asked Ava.

"My notebook. I keep notes, sketches, to-do lists and the like in it. It's charmed to never be full. We are going to write a plan." Ava groaned.

"Do we have to? Can't we just do it?" I shot her a sharp look.

"Yes, we have to. Writing it out will help insure that nothing goes wrong." I glanced around. There was no one near by. _I probably scared them off with the laugh_. I thought with a smirk. "Fire, you're our spy. You're in Gryffindor, you can keep an eye on him. The first stage is pretty easy, I shoot him evil smirks, Opal sends him pitying looks, and Fire keeps an eye on his reaction and reports back. You don't want him to know that you're watching him, but that won't be hard, he never pays attention to anyone not in his little group," I told Ava as I jotted it all down. My notebook now read:

_The Dragon Trio, Operation Revenge._

_Stage 1_

_Viper: Evil smirks, scare the victim_

_Opal: Pitying looks, scare victim and keep up 'good girl' appearance_

_Fire: Spy, report back, inform others when Stage 1 is complete_

"What do you mean, 'when Stage One is complete'?" asked Ava, reading over my shoulder.

"When he figures out that it's all to scare him and thinks he's safe," I explained. "Then we start on Stage Two."

"Which is . . ."

"The hair."

"Yeah," she said, frowning a bit. "How are we going to do that? A spell? We haven't learned any to change things different colors yet."

"That's what books are for!" said Jade excitedly. "I'm sure I can find a color changing spell somewhere!"

"Yes, but I think we should use a potion," I said. "They're harder to make but last longer, and I'm sure I can do it. It will also throw of some suspicion, seeing as no one would expect first years to put that amount of effort into turning someone's hair pink. You guys won't have to do much, I can brew it, but Fire will have to do the placement."

"Placement?" asked Ava, looking a little dazed.

"Yes, you'll have to put it in his shampoo. Do you think you can do that? He and his friends are in their O.W.L year, so they'll be busy. Opal will have to find the recipe, I can never find anything in books." This had now been added to the notebook:

_Stage 2_

_Viper: Create weapon _

_Opal: Find out how to create weapon_

_Fire: Put weapon into place_

"Why do you use codenames for everything?" asked Ava.

"Because then if somebody takes this, they wont find anything out before I ruin them," I explained.

"Gee, paranoid much?" asked Jade. "Besides, you don't even know anyone here. You don't have any dirt to ruin them with," she pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong," I said, ignoring the first comment. "I have dirt on about half the population here at Hogwarts," I said with a smirk. "And I'm working on the rest." They gaped at me.

"_How?" _they asked simultaneously.

"Simple. My mum and dad have this need to know every little detail of our lives. James and Al, unlike me, actually tell them. And, as they're both rather popular, every detail of their lives tends to include many details of other's lives. It would be better if I had an older sister who was in on the gossip, but you'd be surprised how much they know. Or knew, as they've probably forgotten by now. I've been taking notes since I was eight." My smirk grew wider at their awestruck faces. "It will be even better now, if you two help. With spies in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, as well as me in Slytherin, we'll be unstoppable. No one will mess with us."

"That's so great!" said Jade excitedly. "By third year we'll rule the school!"

"I don't want to rule the school," I said. "I just want to be left alone." Jade shrugged.

"Okay then, we'll be left alone. I'm okay with that. As long as your brother doesn't leave me alone," she said with a grin. I raised my eyebrows.

"You like my brother?"

"Yep. He's _dreamy_," she said, making soppy puppy-dog eyes that made me want to puke.

"I really don't want to hear about it. Anyway, last of all we have stage three-"

"What's stage three?" interrupted Ava. I raised an eyebrow.

"I was getting to that. Stage three is getting away with it."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Of Action and Innocence

_Ava's POV:_

I watched James and his friends carefully as a pretended to do my homework. Fred Weasley, who seemed to be a sort of co-leader, was James' best mate. Andrew Menting, the brunette, was the brain of the operation; that much was obvious. They would probably never pull off any of their spectacular pranks without him. Last and certainly least was Derik Groves. He was a nice guy, but spent all his time trailing after the other three.

Our plan was going perfectly. They were all sufficiently freaked out. I wasn't the best spy, I'm sure Lily would have done much better, but it didn't really matter. Lily was right when she said that they only paid attention to people in their group. Well, the exception being Kathleen Shell, James' redheaded crush, who hated his guts. I was currently trying to hide my laughter as she told him off yet again.

"JAMES POTTER, FOR THE LAST TIME, I WILL **NOT **GO OUT WITH YOU! YOU ARE THE MOST INSUFFERABLE PRAT I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO LAY EYES ON!"_ Maybe 'told him off' is a bit of an understatement._ I thought, watching him cower under her rage. Merlin, could that girl yell. You had to hand it to him, he was persistent. James had been asking her out at least once a day since his third year, apparently. Freddie clapped James on the back as Shell stormed off.

"Well, better luck next time mate. What were we talking about again?"

"Lily," said James, and I scooted a bit closer. This should be good. "I think she's winding me up. I mean, she threatened me, and keeps giving me these really creepy looks, but she hasn't done anything yet! It's driving me mad!" He ran a hand through his hair angrily. "I think that's what she's trying to do, drive me insane. Or . . . maybe she's trying to lull me into a false sense of security! I bet that's it. And as soon as I think I'm safe, she'll strike! I'm sure it's one or the other." I held back a snicker. Amazing how he'd never guess that we were doing both. Menting rolled his eyes.

"Great, so you've really got this figured out. Either she's going to do something, or she's not," he said sarcastically. James glared at him but didn't respond.

"What can she do anyway?" Menting continued. "She's a first year. She's only been here for three weeks. The most she'll be able to do is a jelly-legs hex or something."

"You don't know Lily," said James darkly. "She's a she-devil. It's scary. Last time I got her mad she set my broom on fire and didn't even get in trouble." Freddie frowned.

"Wasn't that accidental magic?"

"No, she did it on propose. I could tell because she gave me this really evil smirk behind mum and dad's backs. She'll do something big, and she'll get away with it!" Menting sighed at his friend's dramatics.

"Listen, she's probably just trying to freak you out. If she were trying to lull you into a false sense of security, why would she give you creepy looks? She'd be trying to act as normal as possible," he pointed out.

"Oh. Right. So you think I'm safe?" asked James hopefully.

"Yes, I think you're perfectly safe. Relax." I grinned evilly from my chair. It was time to strike.

-**DT-**

On Friday evening I watched as the deep blue potion simmered in the Room of Requirement, which Jade had dubbed 'The Lair'. It amazed me how Lily could have such patience with potion brewing. In fact, she had said it was her favorite class. I had never liked potions much, it was far to slow for my taste, but Lily seemed to thrive on it. Maybe it was a Slytherin thing. After all, the potions master, Professor Knightly, was the head of Slytherin house, as was the last two potions masters before her.

"Fire, hand me the porcupine quills," ordered Lily, not looking away from the potion. I grabbed a handful that had conveniently appeared on a nearby shelf and put them in her outstretched hand. She counted out five, snapped them in half, and dropped them in the cauldron, which immediately began to let out copious amounts of steam. Lily stirred it one way, then the other, then in a figure eight. When she was done it was perfectly clear and had a thin vapor rising from it. She sat back on her heels.

"Perfect. We just need to add the coloring and let in simmer for thirty minutes, and it will be done. Hand me the pink coloring." Jade bounced up from her seat where she was reading and picked it up delicately. She made an illustrious bow and held it out.

"What you requested, oh Queen of Potions!" I laughed as Lily snatched it out of her hand.

"You have done well, faithful servant. You will live to see another day," she said in a haughty voice, her face completely straight. It sent us both into a fit of giggles and she joined in after a second, loosing the fight against laughter. She recovered quickly and put a few drops of color in the potion, turning it neon pink.

"Can you guys watch it?" asked Lily, picking up her bag and standing up. "All you have to do is take it off the heat in half an hour."

"Sure, but where are you going?" I asked.

"I told Scorpius I'd quiz him for the transfiguration test next week."

"Oooo!" giggled Jade. "Lily and Scorpius sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Holy shit Jade, we're just friends! When the hell are you going to get that through your head?" The blond shrugged.

"Probably never," she said cheerfully. "You two make such a cute couple! Total Romeo and Juliet!"

"Total what?" I asked as Lily rolled her eyes again.

"It's a muggle play where these two people fall in love, but their families hate each other. It's very famous!"

"Yeah, and I think everyone dies in the end," said Lily dryly. Jade shrugged again.

"Yeah well, you and Scorpius can skip that part!" Lily let out a frustrated growl.

"Whatever, I'm leaving. Don't mess up the potion." And with that she was gone.

"Have you noticed how much she swears?" Jade asked suddenly.

"Yeah, a bit. Why?"

"I don't know. I'm just making conversation, considering we're going to be here for another . . ." She checked her watch. "Twenty minutes." I nodded.

"True. Do you think this is a bit harsh?" I asked.

"What, dying his hair? I don't think so. She did say that he's said stuff about protecting her before, and she told him not to ever do it again."

"Yeah."

**-DT-**

I sat down at breakfast the next morning both anticipating and dreading what was to come. It had been ridiculously easy to spike James' shampoo. All I had to do was wait until they were all asleep and sneak into the boy's dormitories. It was amazing what heavy sleepers fifteen-year-old boys were. I even knocked over a pile of books by accident and no one even moved.

I didn't have to wait long before James stormed into the hall, his hair neon pink. The hall burst into laughter and his scowl deepened as he stalked over to the Slytherin table and grabbed Lily by the arm. I had no idea how she was going to get away with this. The enraged Gryffindor dragged Lily over to Professor McGonagall, who was making her way towards them.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Potter?"

"Look what she did to my hair!" he cried, gesturing wildly. "She spiked my shampoo! Can't you punish her or something?"

"Mr. Potter, we have no evidence pointed to your sister's involvement. Miss Potter, do you know anything about this?" Lily shook her head, her eyes wide.

"No Professor, how could I?" she asked in an amazingly deceiving innocent tone. It wasn't overdone either, and so convincing it made me do a double take. _Where on earth did she learn to lie like that? _"I mean, I know I'm good at potions, but James didn't learn the color-changing potion until third year. Also, how would I spike his shampoo? I'm not even a Gryffindor; I wouldn't be able to get into the dorms. He must have just gotten a defective bottle, or maybe he was trying a new glamour charm and it went wrong. You really have to stop doing that James," she said, turning to him with a hint of condescension in her tone. "Remember what happened last summer?" James opened and closed his mouth like a fish while McGonagall's lips thinned.

"Very good points Miss Potter, you may go," she said crisply.

"Thank you Professor!" said Lily with a dazzling smile that I didn't know she was capable of, before trotting back to the Slytherin table.

"As for _you_, Mr. Potter," said McGonagall, and James gulped. "Ten points from Gryffindor and detention tomorrow night, eight-o-clock."

"Yes, Professor," said James, sounding defeated. "Um, could you at least fix my hair?" McGonagall waved her wand a few times, but nothing happened.

"I'm afraid you will just have to wait for it to wear off."

"Yes, Professor."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Of Allies and Swearing

_Lily's POV:_

I smirked internally as I walked back to the Slytherin table. _Lily: one, James: zero. _A girl from my dorm, Rhea Nott, was watching me. She had black hair, pale skin, and icy blue eyes. She leaned towards me when I sat down.

"You did spike his shampoo." It was a statement, not a question.

"No comment."

"Thought so. You're intriguing, Lily Potter. Certainly not what anyone expected."

"Why is that?" I asked guardedly. Her eyes pierced into me, as if she was trying to read my mind.

"You're in Slytherin. You don't talk much. You mean every word you say, unless of course you're lying, which you're exceptional at. You made friends with Scorpius Malfoy and girls from other houses."

"What's this about?" _Is she trying to strike up a friendship?_

"I don't have friends," she said, as if she had read my mind. "I have allies. You, Lily Potter, are cunning, rich, influential, and from what I've seen in class, smart and powerful. I want you as an ally."

"What's in it for me?" She smirked at the question.

"You get me as an ally. I'm cunning as well, and my father has friends in low places. I hear more then he thinks." I was silent for a minute, thinking. She made a good point. I heard a lot from when dad and his friends talked and they didn't think I could hear, but they were all in the upper or middle-class of society, aurors and other Ministry employees. It could prove useful to have an ear a bit farther down the totem pole.

"Fine," I said, holding out my hand. "Allies." She nodded and shook it.

"Allies."

**-DT-**

"So," said Scorpius as he sat beside me in the common room (we were doing homework). "You pranked your brother. The all-mighty, un-prankable, James Potter." I sighed. Slytherins had an annoying habit of stating facts instead of asking them. Of course, I did it too, so I couldn't really complain.

"Why does everyone assume I did it?" I asked in a hurt tone. "It is impossible, remember." Scorpius just snorted.

"Like that would stop you. You are a prodigy in potions, and have a friend in Gryffindor. Ava Thomas, right?"

"Right. I deny all involvement in the change of James Sirius Potter's hair color. Happy?" I asked as I pushed my Transfiguration essay to the side and grabbed my book to look something up.

"You're lying," stated Scorpius, setting his elbow on the table and his head in his hand to look at me.

"No I'm not," I said, not looking up.

"And how do you figure that?"

"Well, let's say, hypothetically, that I did prank James. I never said that I didn't, just that I denied it. Which is the truth." He laughed.

"You really are something Lily." I looked up to see a fond smile on his face. I smiled back.

"Of course I am. Now where the bloody hell does it talk about the theory behind transfiguring one paper product into another?"

**-DT-**

"So Viper, how's Scorpius? Have you snogged yet?" asked Jade cheerfully at lunch on Monday (we were outside again).

"Jade Summers, I swear if you don't stop with that I will hex you. We are _just friends._"

"Methinks our lady doth protest too much," said Jade in a loud whisper to Ava. I gave a frustrated growl before glancing at my watch and letting out a long string of swearwords.

"Come on Opal, we're late for transfiguration."

"Oh, right!" said Jade, jumping up and grabbing her bag. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"You just did," I pointed out as we hurried down the corridor to McGonagall's classroom.

"Where on earth did you learn to swear like you do?" I blinked. _That was random._

"What do Muggles say about someone if they swear a lot?"

"Umm . . . that they swear like a sailor?"

"The Wizarding version of that is 'swear like an auror', but Quidditch players come pretty close. Mum's one, Dad's both, I've got two older brothers, an older god brother, and a whole crap-load of redheaded uncles and cousins. And good ears. You pick things up."

**-DT-**

James' hair was back to normal in a week, but that didn't mean that we got a quiet week or two by any means. No, Jade and I soon discovered exactly why Ava was in Gryffindor.

"I think we should go into the forest," she stated one Saturday afternoon as we sat in The Lair. I glanced up from the drawing of the room that I was working on and Jade looked up from her book.

"The forest? As in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't it filled with dangerous creatures and stuff?" asked Jade.

"Yes, it is," I replied. "Why the hell would we go into the forest?"

"Because it would be fun! You know, the thrill of the forbidden and all that. And maybe we'd see an Acromantula!" I wasn't sure I liked the glint in her eyes as she spoke of seeing a highly dangerous creature that would most likely eat us without a second thought.

"Um, Fire? I've read about those. They eat humans. We don't _want _to meet one," said Jade, eyeing the Gryffindor warily.

"But it would be so cool!" I decided it was time to jump in.

"Listen, my dad _did _see an Acromantula. The only reason he got out alive was: one: they didn't eat him as soon as they saw him because he said he was friends with Hagrid. That won't help us because the one that liked Hagrid is dead. And two: a wild enchanted car that used to belong to my grandpa saved him. That won't help us because it's probably broken down by now." Ava looked disappointed, but then perked up.

"Can we at least sneak out?" I sighed. "Pleeeeez? We helped you prank your brother!" _They did . . . and sneaking out is a far cry from wandering into a dangerous forest . . ._

"But _why?_" I asked desperately.

"'Cause it would be fun."

"You mean just out to the lake or something?" asked Jade, not sounding her usually bouncy self.

"Exactly. See, no big deal." She looked at us with big puppy-dog eyes. I sighed again.

"Fine. What do you think Opal?" She looked a bit uncertain, but nodded.

"So it's set!" said Ava, her face lit up with an almost maniac glee. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

**-DT-**

It was Sunday, and the plan was set. We would all meet in the entrance hall at eleven, two hours after curfew. I still had no idea why I agreed to it, but I had, and there was no backing out. _Great. This is mad. Damn Gryffindor, _I thought as I slinked down the stairs to the common room. It was mostly empty, and I had a knack for not being noticed. Too bad it didn't help where one person was concerned.

"Lily?" I sighed and turned to see the aforementioned looking up from his homework.

"Hello, Scorpius."

"Where are you going?" I bit my lip. Scorpius was the one person I could never lie to. Highly irritating, that.

"I can't tell you, but I swear it's nothing dangerous. Or excessively bad."

"Or _excessively _bad? How bad _is _it?" he asked, looking into my eyes and holding my gaze. _Curse those eyes! How can they be so damn intense? _

"Umm . . . enough to get me a week's detention if caught?" Scorpius sighed.

"I'm not going to stop you, am I?" he asked rhetorically. I shook my head.

"Fine. Oh, and Lily?" he said as I turned to leave, causing me to look back. "Be careful."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Of Voices and Quick Thinking

_Jade's POV:_

I shivered as I crept towards the entrance hall. I did _not _like the nighttime. I liked color and light and being able to _see._ As in day. Not night.

_You shouldn't be doing this._ Great. The Voice was back.

_Whatever. You know, I can't just keep calling you The Voice. How do you feel about Bob? _I asked, hoping to distract it.

_Bob? Fine, but stop changing the subject. You shouldn't be doing this._

_And why is that? Give me three good reasons._

_Because it's against the rules. Because you'd lose house points if you got in trouble. Because you hate the dark anyway._

_Obeying the rules isn't always the right thing to do, you said so yourself. We won't get caught, and if we do Gryffindor and Slytherin will lose points too, so it will be almost even. I can get over it for a friend._

'_For a friend'? How long have you known this girl? A month?_

_She's a friend. She helped Lily prank her brother. Lily's helping her sneak out. I'm sure if something came up with me they'd help. They're both very nice, and they don't mind that I talk a lot and sometimes act a little weird. Lily doesn't even seem to mind that I have a crush on her brother._

_Well they don't know about me yet, do they?_ That was true, they didn't know about the newly dubbed Bob yet. But they wouldn't just abandon me for something like having a voice in my head, would they? While I had been talking to Bob I had arrived in the entrance hall.

"Opal." I jumped and spun around, the darkness putting me on edge. Lily was smirking at me from the shadows beside the doors to the great hall. She looked at home in the night, blending into the shadows despite her flaming red hair. It was almost supernatural.

"Viper!" I whispered. "That wasn't funny!"

"Yes it was. Where's Fire?"

"I'm here." We both turned to see Ava standing by the front doors. "Come on, are we doing this or not?"

_You shouldn't be doing this._

_Shut up!_

Lily nodded and grabbed my hand. "Let's go. Be as quiet as possible. Stay together." I giggled slightly despite my unease.

"You make it sound like a spy mission!" She didn't respond as we reached the doors and eased them open. They squeaked on they're hinges and we all froze, but hearing nothing slipped into the night. It occurred to me that the doors didn't seem to squeak during the day. _They must be enchanted so that they can catch people sneaking out. But why wouldn't they just enchant them to alert whoever's on duty?_ I shrugged it off and followed Ava and Lily towards the lake. The grounds were slightly less dark then inside, but the nearly full moon cast strange, creepy shadows and I wasn't sure I didn't prefer the dark. I tried to keep in the light as much as possible, in sharp contrast with Lily, who seemed to be in the shadows at every opportunity. I made a mental note to ask her about it later. Why would anyone _want _to be in the shadows? Ava was just walking a straight course to the lake, not really paying attention to the light.

We all halted at the edge of the lake, me in a shaft of moonlight, Lily in the deep shadow of a beech tree, and Ava halfway in between. We were silent in awe as we looked across the surface of the lake, a black expanse, rippling in the slight wind, reflecting the stars above. It was magnificent.

I'm not sure how long we stood there, marveling at the beauty of the water, before Lily broke the silence.

"We should be getting back," she said softly, not taking her eyes off the lake.

"We should," I agreed. Ava nodded but none of us moved from our spots. Lily glanced at the two of us and sighed. She walked over and grabbed our hands, pulling us towards the castle. We turned away reluctantly and followed her.

Once we were back in the entrance hall she stopped and turned to us.

"Leave now," she whispered. We nodded and turned to leave, but in the process I knocked over a suit of armor.

_BANG! _The sound rent through the night air and we froze.

"Who's there?" called a distant voice. I felt panic flood me, making my stomach clench and my mouth go dry.

"_Shit,_" muttered Lily. Somewhere in my harried brain I was amazed that she was so calm. The rest of me was too busy trying not to hyperventilate.

_I told you that you shouldn't have done this. I told you, but did you listen? Nooooo. _

_Shut up!_

"What are we going to do?" I managed to squeak out through my panic.

"Sush, I'm thinking," whispered Lily, who had been swearing under her breath.

"We don't have much time," murmured Ava, sounding worried.

"Got it," said Lily suddenly. "Can either of you fake cry?"

"I can," I said, not entirely sure what this had to do with anything.

"Okay, so here's what you do . . ."

**(Let's see, I could be really evil and leave it here . . . checking word count . . . nah, you lucked out, it's too short)**

**-DT-**

Lily pulled Ava around a corner and out of sight moments before Professor Longbottem came into view. I was under control again once I knew the plan. Plans always made things much simpler. Sitting on the floor in a heap, I screwed up my face and worked up tears until I was crying rather convincingly.

"Who's there?" I gave a not entirely fake squeak of fright as Professor Longbottem came towards me and I burst into new fake-tears.

"Miss Summers? What's wrong? What are you doing out of bed at this hour?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm sorry! An older student told me that there was a secret room that you could only get to at midnight, and I really wanted to see it, but everything looks different in the dark and I got lost and now it's cold and I was such an idiot and I'm so sorry!"

"Shhh, it's alright. Because this is the first time and you were tricked you won't get punished, okay? Why don't you let me take you back to your common room?" I let the tears trail off with a sniffle and nodded.

"Thank you," I said as he helped me up.

"It's no problem at all. I used to get lost all the time when I was your age, did you know that?" I shook my head, mildly surprised.

"I would also forget the password to Gryffindor tower and have to wait for someone to let me in. It got me in all sorts of trouble!" I giggled a little at the thought of confident Professor Longbottem waiting outside of Gryffindor tower. He smiled as well, an odd, almost wistful smile.

"Yes, I was quite the little idiot in those days. Who was it that told you that there was a door?"

"Henry Nott, I think." Lily had given me the name. _I'll have to ask her about that later. _

"I see. Well, I'll be having a talk with him in the morning. Off to bed now, and no more nighttime expeditions, okay?" I blinked. While we had been talking we had reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room without me noticing.

"Okay, Professor. It won't happen again."

I really meant it at the time.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Of Fashion Sense and Presents

_Lily's POV:_

Thankfully, the next two months went smoothly, Henry Nott learned not to call me shrimp, and soon it was time for us to go home for Christmas break. I stared out the window as Jade and Ava debated about the fashion of Quidditch. Yes, the _fashion _of _Quidditch. _

_My friends are mad._ _Interesting though. And I always have Scorpius, who's pretty sane. Where is he anyway?_ My unasked question was answered when the door of our compartment slid open to reveal the blond Slytherin Seeker.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Of course not Scorpius. You don't mind, do you?" I asked Ava and Jade. Jade giggled and shook her head.

"Nope! We wouldn't _dream _of keeping you two apart!" I scowled and threw a chocolate frog wrapper at her, making her laugh harder. Scorpius gave me a questioning look and I sighed.

"Jade," I said with a glare at her. "Has somehow got it into her head that we are madly in love. Apparently the whole forbidden love thing is highly romantic." He raised his eyebrows.

"Aren't we rather young for that?" he asked, grabbing a Pumpkin Pasty as he sat down next to me.

"Well, she's in love with Albus, so I guess not," said Ava with a shrug. Scorpius choked on his Pumpkin Pasty.

"W-what?" He finally managed to cough. "Albus? Albus _Potter_? Lily's _brother_?"

"Yep!" said Jade happily. "He's _gorgeous,_" she sighed dreamily. I made a face.

"I did _not _need to hear that."

"It's true!" the Ravenclaw protested.

"I know it's true, he has an effing fan club. That doesn't mean I want to hear it."

"He has a fan club?" asked Scorpius incredulously.

"Duh. He's hot, a Seeker who's only ever lost against you, famous, nice, and rich. Of course he has a fan club," said Ava like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it kind of was.

"And a Gryffindor," I spat. "Scorpius is hot, he's _never _lost a game, he's the nicest person I know, and he's rich, but he's in Slytherin and his father was a Death Eater so no body will even talk to him." Scorpius sighed and put a calming hand on my arm. The scary thing is it actually worked. I could never understand how he had that affect on me.

"We've talked about this before Lily. I've accepted it. I have you as a friend. It's fine."

"It is not," I grumbled, but let it go for now. Jade and Ava, sensing that I didn't want to talk, fell into a new conversation as I stared out the window again, but Scorpius was watching me shrewdly.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, murmuring in my ear so that Ava and Jade wouldn't hear.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Please don't lie to me Lily. What's wrong?" I sighed and closed my eyes.

"I was just thinking . . . this is going to be my first time seeing my family after being sorted."

"And you're worried about their reaction."

"Yes."

"Didn't they write?"

"Yes."

"You're being difficult Lily. What did they say?"

"Exactly what I expected. That they were surprised, but were sure I would do my best and do well, _even though _I was in Slytherin. Oh, and Uncle George said that dad fainted." Scorpius snorted.

"The guy can face the most powerful, evil wizard in a century but not his daughter being in Slytherin. Could you imagine what he would do if he found out that we were friends?" I laughed and shook my head.

"I can't believe people don't want to be friends with you," I said, leaning against his side, before shooting a glare at Jade who had begun humming a wedding march under her breath.

**-DT-**

I stepped off the train with Jade and Ava (Scorpius had separated from us earlier to avoid complications) and glanced around the platform. I quickly spotted a large group of redheads, mixed in with a few blonds and a couple heads of black hair, with a single brunette streaked with turquoise blue.

_Sweet Merlin, did __**everyone **__come?_ I sighed and turned back to my friends.

"Listen, it looks like all my cousins and such have already gotten over there, so I'd better go before they send out a search party."

"It's okay, I should be going too," said Jade, looking rather glum at the prospect. Ava nodded with the same expression. Jade suddenly pulled me into a hug, startling me, but I soon relaxed and hugged back. Somewhere in the back of my mind I realized that it must have been an odd sight, as she was almost a head taller than me.

"Have a happy Christmas!" she said as she released me, before skipping over to a prim looking woman with black hair pulled back in a bun. She reminded me of Professor McGonagall. I raised my eyebrows at Ava, but she just shrugged.

"Well, bye then. I guess I'll see you in a couple weeks."

"Bye," I said, before turning and heading over to my family, who were standing near a very disgruntled looking Malfoy family, still waiting for Scorpius.

"Hey flower!" said dad before sweeping me into a hug.

"Hi dad," I said, hugging him back. Over his shoulder I could see Scorpius' father looking disgusted at our public display of affection, but what caught my eye was the cane in his hand. It was regal looking, black polished wood with a chrome snake head on the top. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

"Awesome," I murmured, and dad heard.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Check out Mr. Malfoy's walking stick!" I said, loud enough for Scorpius, who was emerging from the crowd, to here. His back was to me, but I could see him bring his hand up to his mouth and would bet anything that he was hiding a laugh. I smirked, satisfied that I had helped the dark mood he had been in about going back to Malfoy Manor (he never called it 'home') for the holidays.

Dad laughed and ruffled my hair while Uncle Ron shook his head in mock despair.

"You'll have to keep an eye on that one, mate. Liking something associated with a Malfoy . . . ." Aunt Hermione hit him over the head and I felt a hot rush of rage. I swiftly pushed it away. _He doesn't know Scorpius. He only knows his father, who from what I've heard was a right bastard. Of course, that just makes his assumptions worse . . . . _I shook myself out of my thoughts and smiled impishly.

"You might not like them, Uncle Ron, but you have to admit that the Malfoy's do have great fashion sense and killer hair, if nothing else." Dad sighed dramatically.

"It always comes back to the hair."

"_I _like your hair," said mum, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Now we'd better get going. Mum will be expecting us for dinner in a couple hours." While we had been talking the rest of the family had apparated away, leaving me and my brothers, an impatient Rose, and Hugo, along with our parents. "Why don't you and Ron bring the kids over to Grimmuld place and we can visit for a bit?" mum asked Aunt Hermione, causing me to groan internally. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck with Hugo or Rose while the adults visited.

"That would be great," said Aunt Hermione happily. Each of the adults took one of their children by the elbow (dad took both me and Albus) and after a few seconds of squeezing we appeared in the kitchen of number 12, Grimmuld place.

As it turned out, when mum said 'visit' she hadn't meant the adults. As soon as we were all steady on our feet dad conjured more chairs and gestured for us to sit down as Uncle Ron grabbed Butterbeers from the fridge. _Great. Let the interrogation begin, _I thought, sitting down and crossing my arms and legs.

"So, how was school? We don't need a minute by minute replay, but an overview would be nice."

"Well," said James. "After _she _ditched us on the train-"

"I told you she wouldn't stand for it. She's too independent," said mum, swatting dad on the arm. He shrugged.

"It was worth a shot."

"Where were you anyway?" Albus asked me. "We couldn't find you anywhere."

"Well I'm a slippery little snake, aren't I?" He sighed.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" I just raised an eyebrow in way that read 'what do you think?'

"Cut it out you two. Lily, did you make any friends? You didn't write much."

"I was busy."

"Well, tell us now." I sighed.

"Fine. I have two friends, Ava Thomas and Jade Summers. Well, there's also Rhea, but she doesn't have friends, she has allies," I said, rolling my eyes. Not that I really thought it was that bad of an idea, but I had a part to play.

"Rhea who?"

"Rhea Nott." Dad choked on his Butterbeer.

"Yes, Rhea _Nott_, the one who's grandfather and possibly father was a Death Eater. As far as I can tell, she doesn't have the same beliefs. Can we get on with this? Ava is a Gryffindor, a bit of a tomboy, obsessed with Quidditch, and has a temper. She has an owl named Agamemnon, she thought it was funny to give a tiny owl such a long name. Jade is a Ravenclaw, hyper, pretty much insane, and a book freak. She has a cat named Falstaff, apparently from a muggle play by Shakespeare. Oh, and she's read _Hogwarts, a History. _Pay up," I said, holding my hand out to Uncle Ron.

"Ronald Billius Weasley! Have you been _gambling _with my daughter?" Uncle Ron flinched under mum's furious gaze, which was eerily reminiscent of Grandma Molly.

"It was her idea! I just said that I bet Hermione was the only person in the world who had read _Hogwarts, a History _all the way through, and she said 'how much?'-"

"And I won. Pay up."

"_Honestly_ Ronald! She's eleven!" I gave an inward groan of frustration.

"_She _is right here, and she wants her money!"

"Fine," grumbled Uncle Ron, digging in his pocket before handing over two galleons.

"Thank you," I said, pocketing them with a smirk.

"Lily!" exclaimed Rose. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What, you expect me not to take the money?"

"Yes!"

"And I would do that, why?"

"Because we are currently in debate over whether this wager is even valid!"

"We made it. I won. It's valid." Albus looked amused.

"So, you're saying that if Uncle Ron had won, it wouldn't be valid?"

"Exactly." Uncle Ron was frowning at me.

"When did _you _learn to smirk like a Malfoy?"

"About the same time Scorpius Malfoy learned to fly like a Potter. Does this conversation have a purpose anymore? If not, I need to unpack." Dad sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"You can go. Be ready to go to the Borrow in an hour."

"Thanks. Oh, and I need to go Christmas shopping at some point," I added over my shoulder as I went up the stairs to my room.

I sighed as a shut the door and leaned against it. I stood for a minute before turning around. My room was simple enough. It had dark green walls (I had always liked the color) that were partially covered with posters for a few muggle bands including Linkin Park and Superchick, as well as a couple of my better drawings.

I curled into a ball at the foot of my bed and gazed out the window into the muggle street below. _Well, I'm back. _Back to loud, boisterous redheads, back to being the youngest, back to being the baby, back to wearing the mask of what they expected me to be. I did that some at Hogwarts, acting innocent and attentive with the Professors, and cold, calculating, and emotionless with the other students, but at least I could be myself with Jade, Ava, and Scorpius.

I sometimes grew weary of my masks, but in the end they protected me. If no one truly knew me, than no one could truly hurt me. If I trusted no one than no one could break my trust. If I grew cold than it prevented me from being burned.

It scared me at times, how close I was to my friends. How well they knew me. How much I trusted them. I had to remind myself that they still didn't know all my secrets. The though reminded me of one of the reasons I came up to my room, besides just to escape the questions of the kitchen.

I got off the bed and walked over to the closet, sliding the door open and pushing my robes over to one side, along with a box of my old toys and some books. My closet was a wreck, unlike the rest of my room, which was perfectly organized. I liked to have things organized, it made things much more efficient, but purposely left the closet a pigsty. The rest of my family jokingly called me 'a closet slob'. I hated the stupid pun. Anyway, it was completely intentional. I did it to hide My Room of Secrets.

My Room of Secrets was a secret room that I found when I was seven. It's invisible unless you know where it is. I only found it by accidentally feeling the tiny grove that works as a door handle. As soon as you slip your fingers into it the door appears. I was incredibly lucky to find it.

I smiled slightly as I slid the door open and crawled inside. It was a small room, barely even big enough to call a room. It was basically a five-foot by five-foot cube of space, a perfect size for my small frame. When I had found the room it was home to a few items that I expected used to belong to dad's Godfather, including some photographs, a Gryffindor scarf, and some letters. I felt a bit bad not giving them to dad, but I knew he had a collection of similar items already. I had stacked it all neatly in a corner, except for one picture, one of the Marauders, carefree and happy, probably in their sixth year or so. That I kept in my pocket at all times, a constant reminder of what misplaced trust can destroy.

The walls of My Room of Secrets were partially covered with drawings of my own creation, each representing a secret of mine (hence the name). I had a coiled snake, representing my fascination with the graceful reptiles. I had a broom on fire, representing my not-so-accidental magic. I had The Notebook, representing my collection of blackmail material. I had a theater mask, representing my careful manipulation, whether it was to get what I wanted or just to be left alone. I had a swirling of red and gold with a tear down the middle, representing my hatred of the garish colors.

The last one was more abstract. It was green and black and grey, ice and masks and snakes, shattered glass and a wilting lily. It was me. It was everything under my shell, my masks. Everything that no one had ever seen.

I missed My Room of Secrets when I was at Hogwarts. It made things easier somehow, to have them all take a physical form. I had two new secrets to put up today. I took the two completed drawings from my bag.

One was of Scorpius, bending over his homework, his hair falling into his face. It represented my friendship with him.

The second was of The Lair, representing our 'secret society' to quote Jade. I smiled. Secrets were beautiful, dangerous things. A bit like a dragon.

**-DT-**

I groaned loudly. "Did _everyone _have to come?" I asked exasperatedly. It was fourteen days before Christmas, and we were going to Diagon Alley to do our shopping. Apparently, 'we' meant every single person in the Potter-Weasley clan.

_Invasion of the redheads, _I thought, surveying the crowd that was gathering in the Leaky Cauldron. I shifted uncomfortably in the press of people, unconsciously drawing my elbows closer to me and shrinking in on myself. I hated crowds. I always had. And with a family like mine, crowds were a common occurrence.

"Well, come on!" called Uncle George when Uncle Charlie (who was home for the holidays) finally fell through the floo. "Let's get out of here before the fans start mobbing Harry!" Dad glared, but Uncle George just laughed.

Soon we had all managed to squeeze out the door and through the hidden archway into Diagon Alley.

"Okay, I say we split up. At least one adult in each group, and we can meet up at Florence's in two hours," suggested Uncle Bill. I groaned again.

"Mum, can I please go by myself?" She sighed.

"Lily, would it kill you to spend a little time with your family?"

"No, but it might force me to kill someone else. Please?"

"No Lily, you're too young. Besides, this is a family outing."

"What if I go with Teddy?" I asked, ignoring her second point for the moment.

"Lily . . ." I growled in frustration.

"Fine. How about Teddy comes with our group, we stay with you for an hour, and then split off and meet you at Florence's later?"

"We'll talk to your father about it."

"Okay. Dad!" Dad turned from where he was helping organize everyone. Most people were in groups already, mostly families together, though Freddie was with James and Albus.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Can Teddy come in our group? I want to get some surprises and I was thinking that maybe we could stay with you for the first hour and then separate later."

"Well . . . ."

"Please?" I asked, making big puppy-dog eyes. As expected, he softened.

"Well, alright, if Teddy agrees." I turned to Teddy, who had been watching the proceedings with a raised eyebrow. I gave him my best angelic smile.

"Please Teddy? I'd really like it." He sighed.

"Okay, okay. You're too cute for your own good, you know that right?" I just laughed. _More like too cute for anyone __**else's **__good._

**-DT-**

An hour later, I had bought a pair of Quidditch gloves for Ava, _Tales of Beetle the Bard _for Jade (which caused dad to shake his head, whether in amusement of exasperation), and various knickknacks for my horde of relatives. Five people had asked dad for his autograph, two cashiers had blushed and giggled, countless people had pointed, stared and whispered, and twenty-one woman and one guy had checked him out, but who's counting? _I can't believe people still check him out. He's what, forty? Close to it, at least. And married. With children. Idiots. Irritating idiots. I wish he'd just tell them to piss off already, but __**noooo. **__He's freaking Harry Potter, Banisher of All Things Bad and Nasty, The-Brat-Who-Refused-To-Die, and he has to be gracious and polite, even when no body else is. Grrr . . . ._

Anyway, they were all heading over to Magical Menageries for more owl food, and I was walking swiftly back towards Quality Quidditch Supplies, Teddy trailing behind me. As soon as we arrived I came to an abrupt stop and turned around.

"Listen, this is how it's going to work. I'm going in, you're waiting out here. When I come out you are not going to ask me about my purchases, and you're not going to tell mum and dad where I went. If they ask, just say that I wanted it to be a surprise." The half-werewolf raised his eyebrows.

"And why would I do that?" I smirked.

"Because if you don't, I'll tell Victoire about your exploits with Lindsay Wood in your seventh year." He paled rapidly, an interesting effect on a metomorphmagus, as it made his hair turn white along with his face.

"What-how- how do you know about that?"

"I have my ways. So do we have a deal?"

"Well I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope. I don't know how long this will take, but I should be back out before we have to go meet the others." I turned and entered the shop without waiting for a response.

I looked around for a few minutes, but I couldn't find what I wanted. Finally a kindly looking, graying sales lady came up to me.

"Can I help you with anything dear?" I resisted the urge to scowl at the endearment and pasted on a sweet, innocent smile.

"Actually, yes. I was just wondering if it's possible to buy a snitch?" The lady frowned slightly.

"Well dear, you can buy entire sets of Quidditch balls, but I'm not sure about individual pieces . . ." I let my face fall into an equally innocent, but worried expression. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you see, I have this friend, and he doesn't have that many friends . . . I think I'm the only one besides his parents who'll be getting him anything, and they can't really get him anything good, so I wanted to make it really special . . ." It was true. I was probably the only one getting Scorpius anything besides his parents, and they couldn't get him anything good because of their stuffy, pureblood tastes. If she read something different into it, that was her problem.

"Why, don't you fret, I might be able to find something in the back, wait right here," she said before bustling over the back of the store. I smirked as soon as she was out of sight. _That was almost too easy. _

After about five minute, she was back again with a small box in her hand.

"Here you go dear, one snitch, just for you."

"Thank you so much! Um . . . do you think you could do me just one more favor? It will only take a second," I said with a hopeful smile.

"Of course, what do you need?"

"Can you charm it silver please? Or at least make it look silver?" She blinked at the odd request, but obliged.

"Thank you again! How much do I owe you?" I asked, pulling out my money bag.

"Well, let's see, I'd say about . . . three galleons?" I paid her happily and gave her another innocent smile before going back out to Teddy.

**-DT-**

I ran up to my room as soon as we got home, shutting the door and putting on my Linkin Park CD (Hybrid Theory) before turning the volume up and unpacking my things.

I wrapped Scorpius' present in green wrapping paper and tore off a small piece of parchment for the note. I thought for a minute, then wrote.

_From the Hidden Viper in the Flower_

_To Warm Stars of the Scorpion_

_Happy Christmas._

I read it over before nodding in approval. He would know what it meant, but his parents wouldn't. I smirked. I could get used to this whole secret friendship thing.

**-DT-**

It was Christmas. I was at the Borrow. At the Weasley family Christmas party. I was sitting in a corner, my legs crossed, drinking a Butterbeer, and watching everyone else laugh and talk. Dad, mum, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione were laughing hear the fire. Molly and Lucy had their heads together, speaking softly with identical wicked grins. It was incredibly ironic that this generation of trouble making twins came from Uncle Percy. Uncle Charlie, Uncle Bill, and Uncle George were sitting with their Aunt Fleur and Aunt Angelina. Judging by the sad smiles and occasional bursts of laughter they were talking about Uncle Fred. Rose and Dominique were deep in discussion over something or other. Luis and Roxanne seemed to be teasing Al, and by the blush on his face it was working. James and Freddie were nowhere to be found, but whatever they were up to it couldn't be anything good. Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur were talking to Mrs. Tonks, Teddy's Grandmother, while Grandma Molly kept glancing at the clock, most likely timing some sort of food. Victoire was with Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, listening politely to some sort of longwinded speech that Uncle Percy was making. Hugo was listening too, his eyes glazed over, looking close to nodding off. I wasn't sure where Teddy was. And I was sitting in a corner, completely forgotten. Either that or ignored. _I wonder which would be worse, _I thought idly.

"Hey Lily," said Teddy as he sat down next to me, startling me out of my musings. "You alright?" I shrugged.

"I'm fine."

"Then would you like to tell me why you're sitting in a corner, on Christmas, alone?"

"Not particularly." Teddy sighed in exasperation, but whatever he was going to say next was cut off by an announcement from Grandpa Arthur.

"Time for presents!" The effect was instantaneous. There was an instant surge towards the huge Christmas tree that was in the center of the room and James and Freddie appeared out of nowhere and somehow managed to be the first ones there.

I rolled my eyes and made my way over in a more civilized manner. People were already dividing the large pile of presents into smaller ones for each person. Soon everyone was opening presents, exclaiming over them, and thanking the givers.

I rolled my eyes when I opened my gift from Jade. It was the complete works of Shakespeare, with _Romeo and Juliet _bookmarked. _She's never going to give up on that. _

Ava gave me _Quidditch Through the Ages, _obviously hoping to spike some interest in the game. I shook my head in a mixture of amusement and exasperation. _Nice try Fire, but it's not going to work. _

"Hey, there's another one back here!" said James when most of the presents were opened, pulling out a package from behind the tree. He pulled off the note. "_From the Serpent of Stars to the Flames of Ice. Happy Christmas. _What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"That's mine," I said, grabbing it from him. Dad raised an eyebrow.

"Who's it from?"

"A friend," I said, and pulled off the wrapping before he could respond. I gasped at what was inside. It was a complete drawing set, with rolls of fresh parchment, three new eagle feather quills, a set of muggle drawing pencils, and an amazing array of inks. Three different shades of red, green, blue, and yellow, one each of gold, silver, bronze, purple, turquoise, lavender, orange, brown, white and color-changing, three of black and a type of ink that would turn any color that you wanted it too, perfect for things like skin. I smiled softly as the others gaped at the magnificent gift. Maybe I did like Christmas after all.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Of Colors and Cell Phones

_Jade's POV:_

I hummed to myself as a painted my nails alternating green and red. I wasn't that excited about Christmas, but at least it would mean that my parents would be around for a day. _It's not like I know them enough to like them, _I thought, a bit bitterly. I quickly shook off the thought. _At least I have parents. I could be like Lily's god-brother and be an orphan. _I blew on my nails to dry them.

_It's rather ironic that Christmas colors are the same as the ones for Gryffindor and Slytherin, who are constantly feuding. _

_Hello Bob. It is, isn't it? Did you know that the feud started just after the school was started? Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor actually started out friends-_

_Yes, I __**know.**__ I know everything you do, remember? Even things you don't._

_You don't know anything that I don't; you're just a part of my subconscious. You only know things that I've forgotten, and then you remind me._

_See? I know everything you know, __**and **__everything you __**knew.**__ Therefore, I know things you don't. And how do you know that I'm a part of your subconscious? For all you know I'm a completely separate entity. _

_God, you're so obnoxious! Go away. _I hadn't known that it was possible for a disembodied voice to huff.

_Fine. But you know, I could also be a figment of your imagination, in which case any character flaws I may have would be your fault._ I rolled my eyes and grabbed my ipod. It was one of the things that I missed most in the wizarding world. I would have to look into getting one of those 'Magical Music Players' that Lily had. I smiled and put on 'Never Underestimate a Girl' by Vanessa Anne Hudgens. It reminded me of Lily, well, all of us really. Thoughts of Lily inevitably led to thoughts of Albus, and I let out a dreamy sigh. I knew I was being a little silly, but he was so _amazing._ I mean really, he was so nice, a bit quiet, got good grades, was great at Quidditch, and the fact that he had the most incredible eyes on the planet and plenty of money helped too.

I laughed aloud at the next song that came on.

_I'm gonna _

_getcha getcha getcha getcha _

_One way,_

_Or another . . ._

"Jade, you aren't talking to yourself again, are you?" asked Ms. Baxley strictly as she passed by my room.

"No!"

"Good." I smiled again. Ms. Baxley had been my governess ever since I was born (she had gotten a different job while I was at Hogwarts), and I knew she was really a big softy underneath. Well, maybe that was a _bit_ of an overstatement, but she did have a soft spot for me at least. We were much closer than me and my parents.

My parents were lawyers, and they were constantly working. They usually left before I woke up and were gone until late. I couldn't even remember the last time we sat down for dinner together. Sometimes I thought it was amazing that they even knew my name anymore.

**-DT-**

It was 11:58 PM on Christmas Eve. I was sitting on my window seat, watching fluffy flakes of snow fall. It was so peaceful, so graceful, so beautiful. The flakes fell in intricate dances to soundless music, like some secret language that only they could understand, before settling softly to join in making everything pure and white. Snow was an amazing thing. It covered all the differences and imperfections until everything was beautiful. Sometimes I wished something could do that for the rest of the world.

I glanced at the clock again and smiled. Midnight.

"Happy Christmas," I murmured.

**-DT-**

I stretched and grinned, remembering what day it was. _It's Christmas!_

_Yeah, yeah. Big whoop. __**Some **__people are trying to sleep here. _I rolled my eyes.

_You're a disembodied voice, you can't sleep. Besides, my parents are going to be here all day and they promised that they wouldn't work at all, so I want you to go away and stay away, okay? I don't need them thinking I'm crazy._

_You __**are**__ crazy. I'll leave, but you owe me one, _he said before fading away again. I blinked, wondering how you were supposed to do a disembodied voice a favor, but then decided that this was not the time to think about it. I grinned again and skipped into the kitchen.

"It's Christmas!" I said happily to mum, who was holding a coffee cup and reading the paper. She looked up and smiled.

"That it is. Well, while we're waiting for your father, why don't you tell me about this school of yours?"

"Sure! It's amazing; the magical community is really more of a world! They have their own government, laws, newspaper, shops, schools, even their own sport! They also had their own war a little over twenty years ago. I have two new friends, Lily Potter and Ava Thomas, and their parents fought in it when they were only seventeen! Lily's dad ended it, everyone says he's this huge hero, but he says that he had a lot of help and a lot of luck. Lily says that they're both right, that he's a hero not because he _could _do what he did, but because he _would._ I think that makes a lot of sense. She has a god-brother who was orphaned in the war when he was only a month old. He's half werewolf, and there're a lot of prejudices against them. In fact, I've noticed that there are a lot of prejudices in general . . ." I kept talking for a while, but I got the impression that she wasn't really listening.

_Why listen? It's just your only daughter telling you about her life, which I'm pretty sure a lot of parents, including Lily's, would kill for, _I thought, annoyed. I didn't say anything though. No need to ruin Christmas just because my mum wasn't paying perfect attention to my ramblings.

**-DT-**

I grinned as I opened Lily's present, _The Tales of Beetle the Bard_. It was just what I wanted, classic wizarding literature. I'd seen speculations in some books that something called 'The Deathly Hallows' were involved in the war, and since Lily wouldn't talk about it I wanted to do some research myself. I jumped as mum's cell phone went off.

"One second, I have to get this," she said after checking the number. She flipped it open as she walked out of the room. "Hello? This is she . . ."

No. No no no _no_! This was wrong, all wrong! She was my _mum_! She was supposed to be the one telling dad to leave it and spend time with his family, not taking calls herself! I clenched my hands on the book so hard that my knuckles were turning white. _How can she __**do **__this? _I though, feeling tears prickling at the corners of my eyes.

'Just a second' turned out to be fifteen minutes, and when she got back she noticed my grip on the book and my clenched jaw.

"Is something wrong Jade?"

"I can't believe you," I said, standing up and glaring at her. "You promised! You _promised _that you wouldn't do any work today!"

"Sweetheart, that was a very important client," she said calmly, as if that would make it all right.

"How can you call me that? How can you use endearments? You don't even _know_ me!"

"You will not talk to your mother that way!" snapped dad, standing next to her.

"Why shouldn't I?" I spat, feeling angrier than ever before. "It's not like she listens!"

"Of course I listen Jade, you're my daughter."

"Than prove it! What are the names of my two best friends?" She didn't know. I could see it on her face.

"Violet and . . ."

"Wrong! It's Lily and Ava! I told you that! I told you that _this morning_! But you weren't listening, were you?" I asked, no longer yelling, surprised at how calm my voice sounded. "Just tuning out the silly little girl's ramblings. That was a very important client, was it? More important than your promises? More important than me? Alright then," I said, taking a step back and picking up my presents from Lily and Ava, never taking my eyes off her face, which was shocked. "I get it. Than you'll forgive me if I decide that you're not important to me anymore. I've spent to long trying to be good enough for you to pay attention to me. I'm done trying." And with that I turned and walked to my room, locking the door behind me. They didn't follow.

I collapsed against the door and the dams broke. I threw myself on my bed and sobbed into my pillow. I had been wrong. I _hated _Christmas.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Of Trees and Clementines

_Ava's PoV:_

I grinned as we appeared in out living room. I might not have been too happy about leaving my friends, but the Christmas spirit was intoxicating in the decorated room.

"Do we have clementines?" I asked. We always had clementines at Christmas, a tradition from dad's childhood. Dad smiled fondly and nodded.

"Of course, they're in the basket on the kitchen counter." I dashed into the kitchen and grabbed one of the orange-like fruits. I dug in my fingernails and ripped off the peel, inhaling the scent. I suppressed the urge to laugh and twirl around in a way reminiscent of Jade. _Actually, Jade's more likely to jump up and down. _

I pulled a section off the rest of the clementine and stuck it in my mouth whole, reveling in the sweet taste.

I continued to eat it more slowly as I re-entered the living room, where mum, Cameron and Braydon joined dad and Beth. Beth was chattered about her friend Anna's boyfriend's brother's new girlfriend or something like that.

"Hi sweetheart," said mum, holding open her arms for a hug. I grinned again and let her embrace me. However much I complained about my family, I always loved coming home in spite of myself.

"So how are you? Are your friends at home for Christmas as well?"

"Yeah," said Cameron. "How's the slimy snake?"

"Cameron," said dad warningly as I glared at the nine-year-old.

"What? It's true!"

"It is not! Lily is perfectly nice! I thought for a second. "Well, she's not evil."

"What do you mean by that?" asked mum sharply. I winced, wishing I had kept that last statement to myself.

"Nothing, it's just . . . Lily can be a little blunt. It's not a big deal, really." Beth snorted.

"Blunt? She's downright mean! Do you know what she said to me?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, actually, wasn't it something along the lines of, 'God, it's so bloody obvious that you like my brother, why don't you give it up and join the damn fan club already?'" I smirked as she glared and blushed as much as her dark skin tone would allow. Cameron snickered.

"Ooo, Bethy's in love!"

"Shut up, I am not!" It was my turn to snort.

"Yeah, _sure _you're not."

"Settle down guys," said dad, holding up his hands. "Cameron, leave your sisters alone. Beth, I'm sure that Lily didn't mean to be offensive. Remember, she's only a first year, and it takes time to learn tact." _I'm pretty sure she knows it, just doesn't feel the need to use it . . . knowing Lily, it's all part of some grand manipulation. She's scary sometimes. _"Ava, _if _your sister does have a crush, it's none of your business. Got that?" he asked sternly. We all nodded, even Braydon, who had been silent throughout the affair.

Braydon was seven, with black hair, skin almost as dark as dad's, and startling, intense blue eyes. They weren't piercing like Lily's, or slightly dreamy like Jade's, or soft like mum's, just intense. They gave a sense of power, and were difficult to look into for any length of time.

His appearance wasn't the only thing that was odd about him. He had had something called DAS (Developmental Apraxia of Speech) when he was younger and didn't learn to talk until he was almost three. He had been in speech therapy for a few years and while he _could _talk perfectly normally now, I think he must have gotten used to being silent because he barely talked except for answering direct questions. When he did talk it was quiet, deliberate, and cryptic, disturbingly so for a seven-year-old. He read a lot, and sometimes stared off into space and seemed to lose himself in his own little world, but somehow always seemed completely alert, absorbing everything. He also had a rather unnerving habit of appearing out of nowhere.

He and Cameron fought a lot, mostly because Cameron would try to aggravate Braydon into yelling, most of the time-well, always-failing and getting frustrated himself. Sometimes it was highly amusing, but mostly it was just irritating.

"We're thinking of doing something a bit different this year," mum said.

"What?" I asked cautiously. Normally I was all for doing something new ( and preferably dangerous as well), but I loved our Christmas traditions, from decorating the tree together to baking chocolate chip cookies with mum and Beth.

"What do you think of going to a muggle Christmas tree farm and cutting down a fresh tree?" I thought for a minute. _That could be fun . . ._

"Would I get to use the saw?"

"No!" said everyone else at once, including Braydon, who didn't even look up from the book that I hadn't noticed him getting. I pouted, causing dad to laugh.

"Nice try Ava, but no one in their right mind would let you anywhere _near _a saw." I scowled for a second before grinning cheekily.

"Well, I'll just have to find someone who's insane then."

**-DT-**

"This one is perfect!"

We, meaning me and my family, were at the Christmas tee farm. Beth was next to a large, and indeed perfect tree.

I looked it over, stomping my feet to keep warm. It was perfect. Perfect height, perfect width, perfect shape, no dents or flat sides. It was _too _perfect. Braydon seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"It has no character." Beth jumped at his sudden appearance and looked affronted.

"But it's perfect!" Braydon nodded solemnly.

"It is, in the conventional sense. But it has no character." And with that, he went back to his book. I blinked. I had lived with the kid for seven years, but I was never going to get used to him.

**-DT-**

We ended up getting the perfect Christmas tree. I frowned and argued a bit, but didn't put up too much of a fight. It was Christmas time, who cared if the tree was a bit too perfect?

Braydon didn't say anything at all, but I caught him staring at it a couple times. When I asked what he was thinking, he turned his eerily blue eyes on me and said only,

"It makes a sad statement about today's society."

I decided to stop asking my brother what he was thinking.

**-DT-**

I stared at the clock next to my bed. 5:31. We could go downstairs and open our stockings at six. I rolled over and looked out the window instead. I smiled at the snow falling. There was already a few inches on the ground, and if it kept falling like it was we would have a foot in no time. I couldn't remember the last time it snowed like this. I decided to have another look at the clock. _It has to have been at least five minutes. _I glanced at it and groaned. 5:32. It was going to be a long half-hour.

**-DT-**

I watched, practically bouncing up and down in my bed, as the clock ticked and the second hand moved towards the twelve. 5:59 and fifty seconds . . . fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three . . . fifty-nine . . .

"Yes!" I cried, jumping out of bed. I ran down the stairs and leapt onto the couch in the living room. "I win!" I said as Cameron came hurtling in.

"No fair, your room is closer!"

"You're just mad 'cause you're a midget," I teased.

"I am not! I'm just as tall as everyone else in my class." I shrugged.

"So you're all midgets."

"You're not having this argument again, are you?" asked Beth exasperatedly as she walked in.

"She called me a midget again!" said Cameron indignently, pointing his finger accusingly.

"Well you are one. You're what, a foot shorter than me?"

"I am not! And it's only like, three inches."

"Whatever. The point is, you're a midget."

"It's all relative," said Braydon from beside me, causing us all to jump. None of us had seen him come in. We all looked at him questioningly, but he offered no further explanation.

Mum walked in and took in the scene. She looked from Cameron still pointed at me, to Beth with her hands on her hips, to all of us looking a Braydon, who was reading as if nothing had happened, before shaking her head.

"I'm not even going to ask. Your dad's still asleep, so keep it down." We all nodded, and she smiled. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Get your stockings!" I grinned as I darted over with Cameron, Beth and Braydon following at a more sedate pace. Merlin, I loved Christmas.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Of Stalking and Snowball Fights

_Jade's PoV:_

I grinned as I walked down the train and spotted Al talking to one of his friends.

"Hi Al!" I said with a wiggle-of-my-fingers-wave and a wink before going in search of Lily, who was sure to be there if Al was. _You do know that he doesn't like you. _I sighed.

_Yes Bob, I know he doesn't like me in that way yet. I'm working on that._

_You do understand that to him you're just his little sister's friend?_

_Like I said, __**I'm working on that**__. _

"It's too early." I jumped and spun around to see Lily smirking at me from the doorway of a compartment.

"Stop _doing _that!"

"I wasn't doing anything. You need to stop spacing out," she said as she slipped back into the compartment and I followed behind. I froze. Did she suspect anything?

"Spacing out?" I asked, my voice slightly higher than normal. A sharp glance told me she noticed, but she didn't comment.

"Your eyes go all unfocused and you look like you're listening to something. It's weird. But whatever. As I was saying earlier, it's too early." I frowned in confusion.

"What's too early for what?"

"You're too early for wooing my brother. You're eleven, he's thirteen-" She was cut off by Scorpius as he slid into our compartment, obviously having caught the tail-end of our conversation.

"As opposed to when she catches up and they'll both be thirteen?" he asked with a smirk, taking a seat beside Lily. She scowled at him, but it didn't have any real venom.

"_As I was saying, _wait a couple years, grow curves, wait for his hormones to kick in, maybe mature a little." Her tone stated clearly that she doubted I would mature at all. "Back off for a while, then come back bigger and better. You don't want him to remember you as the creepy first year with a crush. Also, get to know him. Don't go after him just for the looks."

"How am I supposed to get to know him if I'm backing off?"

"I never said that he had to know that you knew him." I gaped at her, and even Scorpius was raising an eyebrow.

"Are you saying I should _stalk _him?" I asked incredulously.

"Who are we stalking?" asked Ava as she stepped in and shut the door behind her.

"_We _aren't stalking anyone," Lily informed her. "Opal is stalking my brother."

"Cool." I sputtered.

"_Not _cool! I thought I was trying _not _to be creepy!" Lily shrugged.

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him. Besides, it worked for mum." All eyes swiveled towards her.

"Your mum stalked Harry Potter?" asked Scorpius skeptically.

"Not according to her, but it was something along those lines. She at least watched him, which is close to stalking. Of course, they were in the same house, so that made it easier."

"Does it matter?" I asked. "The point is, I am not going to stalk Albus! It sounds like something Ava's sister would do!"

"No, she likes James," said Lily mildly. I threw my hands up in frustration. "Listen Jade," said Lily in a more serious tone. "You can't just go after Albus based on first impressions alone, you might be disappointed, and furthermore I won't let you. I might not like him much, but he is my brother, and I won't let you lead him on because of some fan girl, first year crush. Get to know him a bit, give it some time, and if you still like him when the novelty wears off then you can chase him all you want." I nodded.

"Okay, I guess I see your point. So how was your guys' Christmas?" We were soon exchanging stories of our Christmas', and after a little while I drifted off to sleep against the window.

**-DT-**

When I woke up I could hear Ava's steady breathing next to me and murmured conversation on the seat across from us. I battled with myself (and Bob) for a bit, but in the end my curiosity won out and I kept my eyes closed as Lily and Scorpius talked.

"So did you like the present I got you?" Scorpius was asking softly, as not to wake me and Ava. He sounded slightly awkward, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do when left practically alone with Lily.

"I loved it. Did you like mine?" Scorpius chuckled. It had a vaguely relieved tone to it. _He's probably glad she's creating an actual conversation. Boys._

"Yes. I loved how you charmed it silver. I didn't even know that you knew that spell," he said, sounding more at ease.

"Color-changing charms are taught in first year, remember? But I didn't do it. I got the woman at the shop to, as not to raise suspicion."

"You're paranoid Lily."

"Well, I was doing the 'sweet and innocent' act, and I think she thought I wasn't at Hogwarts yet." He chuckled again.

"I have no idea how you ended up in Slytherin, but it suits you." I cracked one eye open to see that Lily was curled in the corner of the seat opposite Scorpius and was looking at him with her head tilted to the side and an odd, sad smile.

"Maybe, Scorpius, I'll tell you someday." I suppressed a smirk as I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep again. They so liked each other, even if they didn't know it yet.

**-DT-**

I looked outside the door of the train to see snow coming down like there was no tomorrow. I glanced behind me, where Lily and Ava were looking slightly apprehensive. I grinned and grabbed their hands.

"Come on!" I yelled as I pulled them into the snow. I laughed and spun around in a circle, feeling strangely giddy. Ava was ginning at me and the corners of Lily's mouth were twitching. I smirked evilly and picked up a glob of snow, lobbing it at Lily. It smacked her in the shoulder and she growled playfully.

"I'll get you for that, Summers!"

"Catch me if you can!" I called back, picking up another snowball and throwing it at Ava who immediately retaliated. Soon we were in a furious snowball fight, laughing and shrieking as we were hit. Passersby shook their heads at the immature first years and I saw Albus and James smile at their sister letting loose like that as they made their way up to the castle. I spun to avoid an expertly aimed snowball from Ava and saw Scorpius leaning against a tree, a wistful smile on his face. We couldn't let anyone know that Lily was friends with him, but no one could complain if an ignorant Muggle-born invited a lonely-looking boy to play, could they? I threw a snowball and it caught him unawares, smacking him in the chest.

"Hey, Scorpius, right? Come and join!" He shot me a thankful smile and happily sent a snowball to the back of Lily's head, who spun, her eyes narrowing, and threw one at his stomach. We attracted even more weird and even angry looks after that, but barely even noticed. They could be as prejudiced and biased as they wanted, but we were friends, Scorpius included, and they weren't going to change that.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Of Walks and Eavesdropping

_Lily's PoV:_

I glanced at the clock. In an hour we would be heading down to Hogsmead station, back home for the summer. The last few months had been fun, full of lunches with Jade and Ava, studying and talking with Scorpius, and meetings of the Dragon Trio in which Jade and I repeatedly squashed some of Ava's 'brilliant' ideas and we all came up with impossible schemes ending with things such as James snogging with Ava's sister Beth (a favorite of mine), History of Magic completely abolished from the curriculum, or (in Jade's case) me and Scorpius declaring our undying love for each other. Nothing eventful, unless you count that incident with Jade's cat and the lake . . . I will deny that until my dying day. There was also Jade's panic attack or two (or five) leading up to exams, but with those all you had to do was drag her to the hospital wing for a calming drought. I think it creeped people out how emotionlessly I did that, just rolling my eyes and hauling her off by the hand.

My things were packed and I was feeling restless. There was just enough time for a good walk before we had to leave. As I was walking through the common room I saw a tired looking Scorpius staring into the fire moodily. I supposed the seventh-years that usually occupied the prime spots were still sleeping off their hangovers from the night before. I frowned. He had been down all week about having to leave Hogwarts again. Taking another look at his sullen figure I made a split-second decision.

"Scorpius, want to walk with me?" He started and looked up snapping out of his . . . contemplation, I guess.

"What?" came his articulate reply. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you wan to go on a walk with me?" I repeated. "No one will be around, and it will be nice to have another look before the summer." Scorpius seemed to think for a minute before shrugging.

"Alright." His lips twitched suddenly as we crossed to the door. "You do know that Jade will have a field day when she hears."

"_If _she hears. And she's not going to, _is she_?" I asked with a glare. He grinned and made a show of holding the door open for me.

"Of course not, milady." I felt my lips twitch involuntarily and rolled my eyes.

"Prat."

**-DT-**

We walked in silence, heading towards the Entrance Hall for no particular reason. It was an odd silence, not quite comfortable but not exactly awkward, as if neither of us knew what to say, or even if words were needed. I know that's how I felt at least.

As we were coming to the Great Hall, I heard the murmur of voices, and grabbed Scorpius' arm to stop him.

"Lily, wha-"

"Shh!" I hissed, clapping a hand to his mouth. Not an easy feet, considering that he was about two feet taller than me. "Listen." With a hand still on his arm I crept closer to the voices and he followed. Soon I could make out Professor's McGonagall and Sinistra speaking in a friendly manner. _Well, I guess it makes sense for them to friends._ All the same, it was rather odd thinking of Professors having lives beyond the classroom.

"What do you think of young Lily Potter?" Sinistra was asking. _Great. It was always my dream to be a gossip topic for old Professors with no lives. _"I think she's a bit strange myself. Very sweet and attentive at the beginning of the year, but she's changed. She's colder now, more what I would expect of a Slytherin."

"Yes, that's what worries me," said McGonagall with a sigh.

"'Worries you'?" Sinistra repeated. "What do you mean? You don't think she could turn dark!" I frowned slightly. It was true that I had 'changed' over the year, letting my mask down-or at least changing it to be more like it was with other students-when I was in class, but sweet Merlin! _Is it even possible for a twelve-year-old to be evil? _I wondered (my birthday had been in May).

"She might," said McGonagall solemnly. I had the sudden urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I felt Scorpius put a hand on my shoulder, as if to comfort me. _I don't need comforting, _I thought stubbornly. _I was expecting this. _And indeed I had been, to some degree. Still, I felt a little twinge of hurt that I pushed down roughly. _I __**was **__expecting this. Who cares what they think anyway? _McGonagall was talking again. "I don't want to jump to conclusions, but the possibility is there."

"You know," said Sinistra as if something was suddenly making sense to her. "I saw her talking to that Malfoy boy the other day." I felt Scorpius stiffen behind me and his hand tightened on my shoulder.

"Yes," said McGonagall. "I've seen them together a time or two. Nothing good can come of that."

"But . . . what if the Malfoy boy is different than his ancestors? He's very polite, and doesn't seem all that bad."

"Neither did his grandfather, or his great-grandfather when I taught them. That's how Malfoy's are, perfectly charming and polite to anyone in authority, but nasty inside and ready to jump at the chance to serve whatever Dark Lord shows up next. His father was just either too stupid or too unwilling to hide his true nature, and too weak to be very dangerous, and he still did enough damage as it was. This one is stronger, both mentally and magically, and I fear what may happen if Miss Potter gets mixed up with him." Scorpius' grip was now becoming painful, but I hardly noticed. There was a gasp from Sinistra.

"Do you think he would manipulate her? Turn her to the dark? Could he? She is a Weasley, after all, as well as a Potter. They've always been strong-willed."

"Strong-willed enough to go against her parents," McGonagall said grimly. "In this case Malfoy may not even need to do much. I've seen sweet innocent children much like Miss Potter go dark purely out of rebellion or a misplaced sense of loyalty. We should keep an eye on those two." Sinistra must have nodded, because the next thing I knew footsteps were coming towards us and I was yanked backwards by Scorpius. He pulled me into a secret passageway just in time, and we held our breath as the footsteps faded away. As soon as they were gone he turned to me.

"Are you alright? You're not used to this yet."

"I'm okay," I lied, pushing down my hurt and anger. "They're just a bunch of prejudiced idiots, I don't care what they think," I said, trying to convince myself as much as him. He eyed me shrewdly, and I studied his face, trying to catch some glimpse of how it had affected him. But his face was devoid of any emotion with the ease of long practice, and I couldn't read him.

"Are _you _alright?" I asked, well aware that it was a useless question.

"I'm fine," he said. I wondered if he realized that he was saying one of my dad's favorite phrases, and one that was often false. I decided that it was unlikely. "Let's get out of here." He pushed past me and back into the corridor.

"Don't change the subject," I said. "This isn't right, and you can't tell me that it doesn't affect you." Scorpius spun around, surprising me with the anger in his voice when he spoke.

"Just let it be, Lily!" he snapped, and I took an unconscious step back. His eyes were stormy like I had never seen with him before, and it frightened me. "It isn't right, but there's nothing you or me or anyone else can do about it! They are always going to hate us! They won't listen to reason, or anything else we say for that matter! And we will always be scorned, and always have to work twice as hard to prove ourselves! And you know what? Even when we do, it won't work! Because no good can come from a Slytherin!" His eyes suddenly lost their anger and his body slumped slightly as he ran a hand through his hair, his eyes closed. "From a Malfoy. I'm sorry Lily, I shouldn't have gotten angry. I'm used to it by now, and besides, you're only a first year. I shouldn't be telling you these things."

"I wish you'd stop saying that," I said softly. He glanced up.

"What do you mean?"

"I wish you'd stop saying 'I'm used to it'. You shouldn't have to be. It's not fair." For once I felt very much like the child I was, trying to figure out why everything wasn't right and good in the world. Scorpius sighed, a tired, defeated sigh.

"No Lily, it's not fair, and I shouldn't have to. But there are no 'shoulds', at least none that matter. There just _is_, and we have to deal with that reality."

"I know." We looked at each other for a second, and then, at the exact same moment, became acutely aware that we were alone, in an empty corridor, having just had a profound and emotional moment. We then, of course, did the next logical thing.

We blushed, mumbled something vague about having to be somewhere else, and ran for it. But even as I darted into the nearest girl's loo, his words haunted me. _'They are always going to hate us!' . . . . 'Because no good can come from a Slytherin!' . . . _and, just like always . . . ._ 'I'm used to it . . .'_ I sighed and leaned back against the wall, contemplating how something as simple as a walk could turn into such an emotional ordeal. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair. _But it just __**is, **__and I'm going to have to deal with that. _I hoped that I could.

As my swirling thoughts and emotions settled, I came to a chilling realization. Scorpius had a mask too. And his was better.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Of Pets and Sleepovers

_Ava's PoV:_

I yawned and stretched before rolling over and snuggling deeper into the covers. It was a crime to make people get up any time before nine; just another reason I loved summer.

"Ava!" called mum up the stairs. I ignored her, hoping she would just forget whatever it was. "Ava!" Her voice was closer now. I continued to ignore her. Maybe she'd think I was asleep and leave me alone. "Ava," she said as she opened my door.

"What?" I grumbled, opening my eyes reluctantly.

"You're going to Diagon Alley with your friends today, remember? And then you're staying over at Lily's house. Are you packed?"

"Yeah," I said sleepily, pulling myself into a sitting position with some difficulty. "You made me do it last night."

"And with good reason. If you're not down in twenty minutes I'm going to assume you've gone back to sleep and send Cameron to wake you up however he sees fit."

"I'm up, I'm up!" I muttered as she left. "Great," I said crabbily, glancing at my Holyhead Harpies calendar (most of my room was decorated in that fashion). It was Friday the thirteenth. With all three of us together, we'd be lucky to get through the day alive. _Or, _I thought with a smirk. _Without killing anyone._

I headed down for breakfast groggily after dressing. Mum and Braydon, the early risers of our family, were already sitting at the kitchen table. I doubted Cameron was still asleep, but he wasn't in the room, and I wasn't about to spare any of my limited morning brain capacity to figure out just where he _was._

"Good morning, dear!" said mum in a cheerful tone that should have been made illegal.

"Bloody morning people," I grumbled, slumping into a chair next to Braydon, who's eyes flickered to me for a second before returning to his book. "Coffee," I said, used to my brother's oddities.

"What's the magic word?" asked mum in a sing-song voice. I glared. That had to be the most annoying phrase on the planet. Mum had learned it from dad while I was at Hogwarts, and it had become a favorite of hers.

"Imperio. Coffee." She just laughed and shook her head. "Fine. Please."

"Here you go sweetheart," she said, placing a steaming mug of black coffee in front of me. "Drink up, we have to meet your friends at nine."

**-DT-**

I stumbled from the fireplace into the Leaky Cauldron, and was immediately engulfed in a tight hug.

"Ava, I've missed you!" squealed a familiar voice in my ear.

"Hello, Jade. I've missed you too, but you do know that we've been writing all summer?" The blond shrugged.

"I know, but that's not the same, and it's _boring _at my house!"

"What I wouldn't give for a boring house." Jade and I turned to see Lily, slightly sooty from the floo-travel. Her mum was chatting with mine about something or other. "Mum says we can go on our own," Lily informed us. "We just have to stick together and be back for lunch in three hours." Jade nodded happily and I grinned.

"Cool! Can we-"

"No, Fire!" they said together, dragging me out the door.

**-DT-**

We browsed for a while, wandering randomly and talking about everything from the latest Quidditch game to who was the hottest guy at Hogwarts (Jade, of course, said Albus, I said Nate Wood, the sixth year captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Lily said that she really hadn't thought about it), before Jade asked Lily in her usual random manner,

"Do you have any pets?"

"No. I don't really want a cat or an owl, and toads are only good for potion ingredients."

"Well, you could get something else."

"No she couldn't, not unless she left it at home all school year. It's against the rules," I pointed out. "I don't think even Viper could pull that off." Jade shook her head happily.

"Not necessarily! You can have another pet if your head of house approves. Professor Knightly likes Lily, I'm sure she'd let her have some other animal, as long as it wasn't dangerous." An evil grin spread across Lily's face.

"Um, Lily?" I asked cautiously. I wasn't the only one in the Dragon Trio who had slightly mad ideas at times, and Lily's were scarier. That was mostly due to the fact that a majority of them would actually work. "What are you thinking, if I even want to know?" She smirked.

"You'll see." And with that, she turned and strode purposely towards Magical Menagerie.

Jade and I exchanged a look before taking off after her, both thinking the same thing. _This should be interesting. _

As we entered the shop we saw Lily waiting for us just inside the door. She smirked again and turned away without a word and led the way to the back of the shop. I raised my eyebrows when I saw what she was heading for. It was a cage of snakes. _Oh, duh. What else would it be with Lily?_ I glanced at the redhead and was surprised to see her brow furrowed in confusion. I was about to ask her what was wrong when her face suddenly cleared into a look of dawning comprehension.

"Wicked," she breathed in an almost awed tone.

"Wha-" I started, but she raised a hand a shushed me. I quick look over my shoulder revealed that Jade was just as confused as I was. I turned back just in time to see Lily open her mouth and to hear a strange hissing noise that almost seemed to have words in it. It took me a second to register what was going on. When I did, my jaw dropped. _Sweet Merlin, she's a Parselmouth! _I watched with an almost morbid fascination as she held out an arm and let a small black snake slither up it.

"I'm getting him," she said, as if she hadn't just displayed a highly rare gift, that was also largely viewed as evil. "His name is Venom, he has poison but isn't deadly, and he understands English. Not to mention that, and I quote; 'his tongue is barbed as well as forked'." I finally regained my senses at that.

"You're buying a snake because it's obnoxious?"

"I think 'snarky' is a better word," said Lily. "And I'm getting him because he understands English."

"'Snarky?'"

"It means obnoxious in a sarcastic and biting manner," piped up Jade. "Why didn't you tell us that you were a Parselmouth?" she asked Lily. Lily shrugged.

"I didn't know. Come on, let's pay and get out of here." The snake – Venom – hissed something and Lily shook her head, hissing something back.

"You do know how creepy that is, right?" I asked conversationally. Lily laughed and Jade spoke before she could answer.

"I think that's half the fun for her," she said with a giggle.

**-DT-**

About two hours later we were re-entering the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. Venom had stayed out of sight in the sleeve of Lily's robe, an arrangement he was apparently rather put out about. According to Lily, he had quite enjoyed freaking out the cashier at Magical Menagerie, and wanted to do the same to other people.

"Over here girls!" called Mrs. Potter from a table near the back. "Have a good shopping trip?" she asked as we got closer.

"Mostly window shopping," replied Lily. "But Jade got a new book and some jewelry, and Ava got a Holyhead Harpies jersey." Mum sighed.

"Oh Ava, another one?"

"I want the whole team to put on my wall mum, you know that! Besides, it's my money."

"I know, I just wish you'd take interest in something else. Something more . . ."

"Girly?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. "Mum, we've had this conversation before." Mrs. Potter, apparently sensing an argument, quickly changed the subject.

"Didn't you get anything Lily?" Lily smirked.

"Actually, yes." On cue, Venom slithered out of her sleeve. Mrs. Potter jumped and mum put a hand to her mouth to smother a squeal.

"You bought a _snake?_" asked Mrs. Potter incredulously. Venom hissed irritably.

"His name is Venom. He says he finds your tone less than flattering and doesn't appreciate being referred to in such a manner. He says something else too, but I won't repeat it, seeing as it's quite rude."

"You're – don't tell me you're a – sweet Merlin," sighed Mrs. Potter, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The press is going to be a nightmare." I was sure that if snakes could smirk, Venom would have. He somehow looked supremely satisfied – _smug is more like it_ – as he moved up Lily's arm to rest on her shoulders. "You do know I hate snakes, right?" asked Mrs. Potter. If possible, he looked even smugger. Lily shrugged.

"You'll get used to him. He doesn't even have to be around you most of the time."

"Fine, you can keep him, but you have to take care of him." Lily smiled.

"Thank you mum," she said, sliding into a seat across from her. Jade and I sat down on either side.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," said Mrs. Potter. "Your dad was here, he said that there was a slight mix up and he had said that James' friends could come today as well, so they'll be there tonight and tomorrow morning." Lily groaned while I processed this information. _Oh yeah, we'll never get through this without someone dying. Horribly. _

**-DT-**

A year of sharing a common room with James and his friends, not to mention being friends with his sister, had led to, if not knowing them, having a fair bit of knowledge about their personalities.

James was easy-going, funny, a prankster. He had pranked more than half the population of Hogwarts at some time or another, and was working on the rest. He did seem to get the Slytherins a bit more than the other houses, but it was said that he had let up on them since Lily was sorted. His pranks were all in good fun, and he never did anything really harmful. Even when pranks were embarrassing, the victims got an equal amount of teasing and sympathy, because most of their friends had been pranked before. I knew that there was more to him then a prankster, though, partly through Lily and partly from seeing for myself the occasional jealous glances he shot at his brother and even his friends. I guess it was hard being the eldest son of Harry Potter.

Freddie was a lot like James, except more so. Where pranks were involved he planned obsessively, laughed hysterically when they worked, and cheerfully took the detentions he got when caught. According to Lily, he was trying to break his dad's record of the most detentions received in seven years. He was constantly laughing and teasing his friends, and, unlike James, he really didn't seem to have a care in the world.

Derik was shy, quiet, and rather timid. I sometimes wondered why he was put in Gryffindor. He wasn't all that smart, but would, on occasion, have strange philosophical insights. And he was, if nothing else, fiercely loyal to his friends.

Andrew, while rather brilliant and mostly a good bloke, had a bitter edge. He would sometimes turn moody and sarcastic, retreating into a book and snapping at anyone who disturbed him. He had a strong sense of justice, and the pure idea of 'life isn't fair' seemed to irritate him to no end. His rants were infamous, and I had heard stories that his first one had begun with him throwing a history book across the room and it catching fire from his accidental magic. He was a Muggleborn, and had apparently been reading an account of the war. He had immediately started on a tirade about the pure insanity of: one: shoving the fate of the world onto a child, two: an entire community consisting of thousands being unable to stand up to a terrorist group consisting (at first) of dozens, and three: that no one bothered to just nuke the guy's hideout already! James,

Freddie, and Derik had decided that they liked this new side of their normally quiet, bookish roommate and reportedly befriended him on the spot.

**-DT-**

"Wow."

"You can say that again."

"Wow." Lily rolled her eyes at Jade and me before grabbing our hands and pulled us up the stairs.

"_That _is what happens when dad lets James and his friends into the kitchen without supervision. Or anywhere, for that matter." A loud thump sounded from above us as we passed a landing and continued upwards.

"FRED!" came the muffled shout of three voices. We arrived at what appeared to be James' room in time to hear an apologetic 'oops?' and see purple smoke leaking out from under the door.

"Come on," urged Lily as Jade and I lingered. "You really don't want to know, trust me." We exchanged worried looks, but followed her up to another room, which had a sign on the door that read 'Enter, if you dare. But tread softly, for a dragon lies within.' I shook my head in amusement. _That is __**so **__Lily. _

"Well, this is my room," said Lily simply, opening the door.

**-DT-**

"So . . . what do you want to do?" asked Lily as we were lounging around in her room after dinner.

"We could watch TV," suggested Jade. "That is, if you have one."

"We do, mum's obsessed with it, but we have to charm it to work around magic and we still only get about two channels."

"There's a Harpies game tonight," I supplied. "We could listen to it on WWN." Lily shrugged.

"Okay. Opal?"

"Sure!"

There was only one small problem. When we got downstairs, the boys were already there.

"James! We want to listen to the Harpies game!"

"Tough luck, we want to listen to the Cannons game." I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing.

"The Cannons?" I asked incredulously. "As in the Chudley Cannons?"

"Yeah," said James defensively. "Got a problem with that?"

"You've got a problem with your brain if you support them! They haven't won the league in over a century, you do know that, right?"

"Just because they don't win doesn't mean they're not good!" said Freddie, jumping to his cousin's defense. Of course, he might have supported them too.

"Oh please," I scoffed. "When was the last time they were even in the top ten? Twenty, twenty-five years ago?" James was rather red by now, and Freddie's ears were turning bright pink. _Weird. I didn't know they could do that._ Andrew and Derik looked somewhere in between exasperated and amused, as if they agreed with me but had long since given up arguing with their friends about it.

"My brother's idiotic choice of Quidditch team is not the point," said Lily, stepping between us. "The point is that we want to listen to the Harpies game."

"And why should we let you?" asked Freddie. "We were here first."

"So? Why should you get what you want just because James' room is closer to the sitting room than mine?" challenged Lily. "Besides, you already know your team's going to lose. The only question is by how much," she said with a smirk. James and Freddie bristled, and it was about to turn into a full blown fight when Mr. Potter stepped in.

"Kids, what's going on?"

"They want to listen to the Cannons game," said Jade (who had wisely stayed out of it) pointing to the boys. "But we want to listen to the Harpies game." Mr. Potter raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it the same game?"

"What?" asked James and Lily at the same time.

"They're playing one another." We glanced at each other sheepishly.

"Oh."

**-DT-**

Lily, Jade and I were in Lily's room, laughing in a way that can only be achieved by girls who have had too much sugar and not enough sleep. It was one in the morning, and we were discussing new names for Lily's dad.

"What about; 'That-Guy-Who-Defeated-Voldemort'?"

"Hey, hey, I just thought of something! First, they called him 'the Boy-Who-Lived', then they called him a nutcase, and then he was 'the Chosen One'. Why don't they just call him 'the Chosen Nutcase Who Lived?'" asked Lily, sending us all into fresh peals of laughter. Eventually, we giggled ourselves to sleep one by one, but not before I got a chance to wonder at what had grown from one chance meeting.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Of Cats and Whispers

_Lily's PoV:_

"Finally!" I exclaimed, flopping onto the seat across from Jade. "Going back to Hogwarts at last."

"Come on Lily, we both know what you're _really _excited about," said Jade teasingly. I rolled my eyes.

"Are you _ever _going to give up on that?" I asked for the millionth time.

"No," she said as she let her cat, Falstaff out of his basket. He purred and rubbed against her hand affectionately. I barely restrained myself from wrinkling my nose with distaste.

I didn't like cats. I never had, and probably never would. Now, _some _kinds of cats weren't that bad. The type that slinked around in the shadows and bolted at any sudden movement? They were alright. The type that sat just out of reach, glaring at people and hissing if anyone got close? They were tolerable. But the type that purred and rubbed against people, mostly people who didn't like them? Ugh. That just happened to be the type that Falstaff was.

He leapt onto the floor and began rubbing against my legs, his purring sounding something like a freight train. He was roughly the same size as one as well. I poked at him with my foot, glaring.

"Jade, your cat is getting hair all over me. Make him move." She rolled her eyes.

"You can't _make _a cat do anything. That's the beauty of them!"

"Is that so?" I asked, still eying the orange blob that called itself a cat.

"Yep!" she said cheerfully, either oblivious to or completely ignoring my irritation. I suspected the second.

At that moment the compartment door slid open. That was probably a good thing, considering that I would most likely have done something highly unpleasant and possibly illegal to that cat if it hadn't.

"Hey," said Ava, sitting down next to Jade. Falstaff sniffed at her feet for a second, then decided that she wasn't interesting and went back to shedding bright orange hair over my black robes. "I can't wait to be back at Hogwarts! I'm going to try out for a Chaser's position if there's one open." I knew. She had been writing about it all summer.

"Even if there's not you might be able to beat out one of the old team members," Jade pointed out.

"Not likely," said Scorpius, slipping into the compartment. "I'm assuming you're talking about trying out for Quidditch?" he asked, sitting down next to me. We nodded to the affirmative. "Wood's put a good team together; the Chasers have been flying together for years. Even if you were a bit better than one of them, the chemistry would cancel it out." Ava looked downhearted, but then perked up.

"Well, all three are graduating next year, along with Wood. I'll have a decent shot then!"

"Three guesses who'll be the next captain," I said dryly. Scorpius snorted.

"Why Lily, if I didn't know any better I'd say that you didn't_ want _your brother to do well." I rolled my eyes and was about to respond when I felt Venom move under my sleeve.

"Venom's awake."

"Who's Venom?" asked Scorpius.

"Him," I replied as Venom slithered out onto the seat. Falstaff immediately leapt away, bristling and hissing.

"**Thrice damned feline!" **spat Venom, moving onto my lap and glaring at said feline, who had retreated onto the opposite seat.

"**I quite agree."**

"**You smell like the foul beast now. I should kill it, ridding the world of a great evil."**

"**I would let you, but Jade likes it for some reason."**

"**Yes, what a pity it would be to offend the poor little human," **he said, his voice dripping with scathing sarcasm. I rolled my eyes but left it at that. _It's not like he'll actually do anything. I hope._

I looked up to see Scorpius raising an eyebrow.

"So, you have a pet snake . . . and you're a Parselmouth."

"Yes. You're saying you didn't know? It was all over the tabloids." It was true. There had been quite a scandal when news got out that Famous Harry Potter's Daughter (note the capitals) was not only a Slytherin, but a Parselmouth as well. It would have been highly amusing if not for the fact that people actually _believed _the stuff they were printing. _I mean really, it's just sad that people can believe that a twelve-year-old is going dark,_ I thought, and not for the first time. Everybody seemed to conveniently forget that dad was a Parselmouth, and they all hailed him as a hero.

"I don't read them."

"Good," said Jade. "They're complete trash!"

"Hey!" said Ava indignantly. "They may be trash, but they're entertaining trash at least."

"No they're not! They're just plain trash, written by dropouts who have nothing better to do than stalk celebrities. They're a waste of paper and a disgrace to literature!" I rolled my eyes and exchanged an exasperated look with Scorpius as they argued– though, if you asked them later they'd call it a 'discussion'. I stroked Venom's head and settled back into my seat. It was nice to be going back to Hogwarts.

**-DT-**

I lay on my bed Saturday night and thought about the week. It hadn't been unusual, really. We had attended the welcoming feast, watched the first years get sorted, and fell back into the routine of going to classes and having lunch together. And yet something was different now. I knew what it was.

I had started watching Scorpius. Not in a creepy, stalker way, just paying a bit more attention to him outside of the common room. What I saw both angered and frightened me. I saw the disdainful glances and outright glares, heard the venomous whispers. I saw the way he dodged feet stuck out to trip him and passersby who tried to jostle him more than strictly necessary with the casual ease of long practice. It made my blood boil. And it scared me, though I was reluctant to admit it. It scared me not only because of how they treated him, but because they were whispering about me now. I heard snatches as I walked by a group of Gryffindors or some of my brother's fan girls.

"_. . . snakes . . . dark . . . betrayed . . ."_ I shook it off, kept walking, pretended I hadn't heard, but their cold, hateful words lashed out at me, battering at my shields. I knew that Scorpius was watching me too, trying to gauge my reaction, see how I was taking it. He knew more would come. Whenever I caught him looking, I would look up, give him a smile, and try to reassure him that I would be fine. He would nod and look away again, and I couldn't be sure if he was convinced. I wasn't sure if I was.

I stared at the silver canopy of my four-poster bed, listening to the quiet sounds of my roommates breathing. My roommates, who were hated by their peers, looked upon with disdain, simply because their most prominent trait was their cunning. I clenched my jaw and glared into the darkness. It wasn't _right,_ it wasn't _fair! _And yet there it was.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Of Mandrakes and Detention

_Ava's PoV:_

I grumbled under my breath as I made my way to Greenhouse Three with the rest of my roommates. I hated Herbology. "Stupid, useless subject. Who needs Herbology anyway? It should be an elective, but _no._ They _force_ us to take it!" My roommates rolled their eyes, used to my muttered rants. It didn't help that Gryffindor had it with the Hufflepuffs, meaning neither Lily nor Jade is in it with me. Hugo, Lily's cousin, was, but he was just kind of . . . there.

"We're going to be repotting Mandrakes today," said Professor Longbottom cheerfully as we entered the greenhouse (or, as I liked to call it, the Dirt Pit of Doom). There were about twenty pairs of earmuffs on the bench in front of him. "Can anybody tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" Predictably, the professor's son, David Longbottom, raised his hand. He had a round face, longish brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was kind of cute, in a clumsy puppy sort of way. He was also the resident Herbology wiz. The talent must have run in the family.

"Yes, Mr. Longbottom?"

"It fixes people who've been cursed or transfigured."

"Ten points to Hufflepuff. Mr. Longbottom is quite correct; the Mandrake is essential to most antidotes. But it is also dangerous. Who can tell me why?" _Of course it is. Can't have a plant that can't attempt to kill you in some way, can we? Whatever happened to lettuce and daisies?_ Again, Longbottom's was the only hand raised.

"Yes?"

"If you hear its cry then you die." _Its cry? What? Do I even want to know?_

"Very good, another ten points to Hufflepuff. Now, the Mandrakes we have today are very young, so their cries won't kill you yet. They will knock you out for a few hours, and while I'm sure you would all like an excuse to miss the rest of your classes today, I can't allow that." There were a few chuckles at this. "So, everyone grab a pair of earmuffs. I'll demonstrate first, and then you'll start on yours." We all crowded around the bench, grabbing at the earmuffs. I snatched one up blindly, only to see that it was a hideous fluffy pink pair. I groaned. _Bloody typical. I hate this class._

"All right everyone, to your trays and on with your earmuffs!" We all lined up at the trays and snapped on our earmuffs, plunging ourselves into silence. I looked at Professor Longbottom to see him grab the tufty, purplish leaves of the plant in front of him and yank up hard. I blinked to make sure that I was seeing properly. I was. _That's . . . just wrong. Merlin, I hate this class. _Instead of roots, there was a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby dangling beneath the leaves. Even though I couldn't hear it, it was easy to tell that it was screaming at the top of its lungs.

Professor Longbottom pulled a large pot out from under the bench and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying it up to its leaves. He dusted off his hands, gave us a thumbs-up, and took off his own earmuffs.

"Now, four to a tray – the pots are over here and the compost in the bags there," he said calmly. "Make sure to keep your earmuffs on tight! I'll get your attention when it's time to leave." I joined a tray with two Gryffindor girls in my year who didn't look too pleased at being in a group with me – a blonde named Jenna Finnegan, whose dad was a friend of my dad's, and a small Muggleborn with black hair named Grace Rivers – and David Longbottom. Longbottom grinned.

"David Longbottom. And who would you lovely ladies be?" he asked with an overly flirty wink. I rolled my eyes while Grace and Jenna giggled.

"Jenna Finnegan."

"Grace Rivers." David bowed exaggeratedly to each of them.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"And I'm Ava Thomas."

"Oh yeah," said David, squinting at me as if he was trying to remember something. "You're friends with the walking scandal, right?" I laughed despite myself.

"If you mean Lily, then yes." After that we didn't get much chance to talk, as our earmuffs were clapped firmly on and we were focused on our task. Though Professor Longbottom might have made it look easy, it was anything but. The Mandrakes seemed just as reluctant to go back into the soil as they were to come out, fighting me all the way.

When I finally managed to force my first one in, I paused to glare at the pot, wondering how much trouble I would get in for just leaving the rest. I looked at my companions to see Grace and Jenna already halfway done with their second, and David working on his third. He, similarly, had paused, the Mandrake dangling from his hand. When I realized the reason for his pause I redirected my glare at him.

He was laughing. At me. I gave a low growl of anger that no one could hear and picked up a dirt clod that had spilled from my pot, lobbing it at his head. He tried to dodge, but it hit him in his shoulder, making him drop the Mandrake. He started laughing harder, grabbed his own handful of dirt, and threw it right back at me. I dived out of the way, grabbing an unused work glove and throwing it, hitting him in the face. I only had a moment to wish that I could have heard the smack before a clump of dirt collided with my side. I felt an evil grin spread across my face.

"Ohhh, you're dead now," I muttered, though I knew he couldn't hear. The next thing I knew we were in a full-blown dirt fight, my previous anger forgotten as I laughed and dodged. _Maybe Herbology __**can**__ be fun, _I thought an instant before I felt a hand grab the back of my robes. _Bollocks! We're dead! _I thought, turning my head to shoot a guilty look at David, whom Professor Longbottom also had a hold of. He (Professor Longbottom) pulled off our earmuffs. I saw that the class had just finished, and were watching the scene warily. Professor Longbottom let us go, shooing the other students out as we turned around.

"Would you care to explain?" he asked sternly, turning back to us.

"Er . . ."

"She started it!" said David, pointing to me.

"What?" I cried, outraged, spinning to face him. "I did not!"

"Did too!" Professor Longbottom gave an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes, and we both turned back to him, me still shooting David angry glances.

"I don't care who started it; you both participated. Ten points each and detention, eight o'clock on Friday, my office." We nodded meekly, though I was still seething. "Now go after the rest of your classmates and get cleaned up. You have time, lunch is next."

We left together, and I shot one last glare at David before spinning on my heel, my hair flaring dramatically, and flouncing off to the nearest girls loo.

**-DT-**

"You did _what_?" asked Lily incredulously from over her lunch.

"I got in a dirt fight with David Longbottom," I repeated, flopping down on my stomach next to them. "But he started it!"

"What did he do?" asked Jade, who was leaning against the beech tree, painting her nails Ravenclaw colors.

"He laughed at me!" Lily rolled her eyes.

"No offense, Fire, but from what you've told me, anyone would laugh at you in Herbology. Aren't you terrible?"

"Well . . . yeah . . . but still!" She rolled her eyes again.

**-DT-**

"This is all your fault, you know," I informed David, breaking the silence, as we walked to Professor Longbottom's office.

"How?" he asked with a slight frown.

"You laughed at me! If you hadn't laughed at me, I wouldn't have thrown anything at you, and this wouldn't have happened. Also, if you had just dodged the dirt and gone back to your work, this still wouldn't have happened." David grinned.

"Well where's the fun in that?"

"And afterwards," I continued. "Honestly, 'she started it'? Do you have any idea how immature that sounded?" He shrugged.

"Do you have any idea how immature I _am_?" I stopped, glaring at him. He stopped as well, and turned to me with a serious expression. "But really Ava, I was just teasing, I agree that it's partly my fault. It's also partly yours, you know. You really have to work on that temper of yours. Lighten up!" He grinned again, hitting me lightly on the shoulder. I smiled a bit.

"I guess you're right. Come on, we don't want to be late," I said, making a face. He laughed.

**-DT-**

"Now," said Professor Longbottom, and amused twinkle in his eyes. "I want you to write 'I will not throw dirt in Herbology, no matter who started it' 100 times. I'll be back." I threw David an exasperated look, and he just winked and started writing so fast that I got the feeling it would be impossible to read when he was done. I shrugged and followed suit._ I could get used to this David kid._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Of Shouting and Unity

_Jade's PoV:_

It was a Sunday, November 1st to be exact, on that fateful day that rocked the Hogwarts population to the core. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. More like the Hogwarts gossip mill. But seeing as that was composed of most of the Hogwarts population, that first statement wasn't _that _far off. A few things had happened over the last two months.

Firstly, Ava had started getting tutored in Herbology by David Longbottom. They met in the library once a week. Or at least they _had_, before they got kicked out for being too loud. Now they met in Professor Longbottom's office, which he let them use.

Secondly, I had actually taken Lily's advice, over the loud protests of Bob. No, I was not stalking Albus. I was just _watching_ him, and going out of my way to do so. It was actually quite fun. I went to all his Quidditch practices (hiding far under the bleachers of course, as not to attract suspicion. Yes, I was aware of how twisted my logic was), I had memorized his class schedule and normal routine (Ava helped with that one), I had learned about his friends (his best friend was Jason Wood, Nate's younger brother, who didn't like Quidditch and felt pressured by his dad) and just him in general (he was slightly jealous of his brother, worried about Lily, and hated his name).

Thirdly, Lily had been moody. Of course, she always was, to some degree, but lately she had taken to spending a lot of her free time in the Slytherin dungeons. I had asked one of her roommates with whom I knew she was friendly, Rhea Nott, what she did in there. She, after looking me up and down in a way that made me want to fidget, had said that Lily would sit by the window looking over the lake and thinking.

"_In other words,"_ Bob had said, "_she broods." _I was forced to agree.

So that was what I was mulling over on the first of November, poking absently at my breakfast.

"_Hey, wake up!"_

"What?" I asked, dropping my fork with a start. A sigh.

"_It's me."_

_Oh. _The people around me were looking at me oddly.

"_Something's happening. Pay attention." _I looked around, to see that something was indeed happening.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!"

_Kathleen Shell always yells at James. That's nothing new. _

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"

"_Yes, but look at his face." _I looked again. James had always had a slightly dejected, resigned look when Shell yelled at him, but now there was a new, determined glint in his eye. And something else too . . .

_Dear Lord . . ._

"YOU ARE SUCH AN ARROGANT, PIG-HEADED –"

"No, I'm not." The words, though not particularly loud, seemed to echo through the hall like a cannon blast. Everyone who had been studiously ignoring them in favor of their breakfast turned to stare at James and Shell.

"I – what?"

"I said, no, I'm not. And I'm sick and tired of you saying that I am at every possible opportunity. If anyone here is arrogant, it's you!" James was on his feet now, towering over the short Shell. _That won't go over well . . ._

"_You think?"_

"Me?" she asked in outrage. "I'm not the one who struts around the castle like I own the place, acting all high and mighty, thinking the rules are below me –"

"And neither am I! If you'd take your nose out of the air for two damn seconds, maybe you'd see that!" yelled James, starting to go red in the face.

"Yes, you are! You prank everything in sight –"

"And people enjoy it! Even the bloody Slytherins laugh!"

"_Has he forgotten that his sister is a Slytherin?"_

_Possibly. Now be quiet, James is still going._

". . . and if you'd just get off your high horse, you'd notice that they're always completely harmless! It's not like I'm hurting anybody!"

"You humiliate people!"

"You're the only one who seems to mind!"

"You're so arrogant; you think that just because you're a Potter you're better than everybody else!" James took a step back, the color draining from his face, staring at her in shock. _Wow . . . that was . . ._

"_A low blow?"_

_Yeah. Bloody hell._

"_Look at his brother." _I turned to look at Albus, who had his eyes narrowed at Shell and his fists clenched. "_He's pissed," _said Bob unhelpfully.

_They all are, _I thought back, looking around the hall. Every single Weasley, along with Andrew and Derik, was glaring at Shell. Lily's face alone was blank, but I knew her well enough to realize that she was probably seething inside. Saying that they were full of it because they were related to Harry Potter was about the worst thing you could say to a Potter or a Weasley. Everyone in the school knew that.

"You – you really think that?" asked James weakly. Shell still had him fixed with her fiercest glare.

"I do."

"Well . . . I've liked you since first year you know. Lately I thought that maybe it was turning into something more . . . but I guess I didn't know you as well as I thought I did. I've been trying for years to get you to give me a chance, and you know what? I'm done trying!" With that he stormed out of the hall, leaving a shocked silence behind. It was broken when Freddie stood abruptly, his ears bright red, glaring at a shocked Shell.

"I hope you're happy," he spat, before running after his friend. She shook herself and glared after him, not repentant in the least. Andrew stood as well, his fists balled at his side.

"You're damn lucky you're a girl, or I would have hit you by now." Professor McGonagall began to stand, obviously ready to intervene.

"I can do that," said Roxanne Weasley, a Gryffindor who was in her fifth year. She marched up to Shell, who braced herself, preparing for a slap that never came. Roxanne punched her instead. She dropped like a stone, and Roxanne continued to glare at her, nursing her fist.

"Miss Weasley!" snapped Professor McGonagall, sweeping down from the high table. "Twenty points from Gryffindor and detention for a week! _Never_ before have I seen such conduct between students!"

"Really?" asked Roxanne with a genuine note of curiosity in her voice. "Given the way that Uncle Ron talks about Malfoy's father, I find that hard to believe." McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"That is beside the point!"

"Yes, Professor," said the redhead, not looking at all cowed. "But may I say something?" At McGonagall's curt nod she turned to the hall. "No one messes with one of us."

"Agreed," said Louis, standing.

"Agreed," repeated Albus, getting to his feet. The word was repeated around the hall, until all but one of the Weasley clan that remained at Hogwarts (excluding Freddie and James) were standing resolutely.

"Lily?" asked Roxanne uncertainly, turning towards the Slytherin table. Everyone held their breath, having heard the rumors circulating about her supposed 'betrayal' of her family. Lily stood slowly, her face unreadable.

"I deny any and all involvement in any . . . unfortunate incidents that may occur to Kathleen Shell in the near future," she declared smoothly. "That being said, I completely support my family in this endeavor." She gave Shell (who had by then regained her senses) an icy smile that, if it had been directed at me, would have sent me running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Roxanne gave a nod of approval as Shell paled a few shades.

"And I support Lily," came a familiar voice, causing everyone, including me, to jump. Everyone turned to see Ava standing determinedly by the Gryffindor table.

"_Don't do it."_

"As do I," I stated firmly, rising myself. Professor McGonagall looked torn between exasperation, disapproval, and amusement. The hall was silent for a moment before a soft chuckle was heard from the Slytherin table. All eyes turned to it to see Scorpius, of all people, smirking at Shell.

"Damn, Shell. You're screwed."

_Truer words have never been spoken._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Of Meetings and Venting

_Ava's PoV:_

Shell was scared. That much was obvious. She had a right to be, too. After all, she had the entire Weasley clan plus a few after her blood. If I had been her I would have left the country; run to some tiny, remote village somewhere in the middle of nowhere; and hidden under a rock until they forgot about me. Not that that was likely to happen any time soon. Weasleys, as well as having nasty tempers, had long memories. Lily alone wouldn't rest until she got her revenge, and when you added her to the rest of them . . . well, they were a force to be reckoned with.

James was depressed. That much was also obvious. And that would only fuel his relatives' anger, not to mention their thirst for revenge.

So on the Saturday after the Explosion, as people had taken to calling it, while I was in the Gryffindor common room working on my Potions homework, I was startled by a tap on my shoulder. When I spun around there was no one there. I frowned slightly and turn back to my work, only to hear a disembodied whisper in my ear.

"Ava, don't do anything, just act normally. It's Albus. I'm guessing that Lily already told you about the cloak. In a few minutes, leave and meet us in the third floor corridor on the right-hand side." I gave a tiny nod to show that I understood. A moment later Roxanne came down from the girls' dorms and left through the portrait hole.

**-DT-**

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around the room. It was mostly bare, save for a large trapdoor in the center of the floor. It had claw marks in it, as if some very big animal had been trying to get through it. And of course save for the fact that it was currently crowded with Weasleys.

"Nowhere, just where dad had one of his adventures," said Lily from where she was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed.

"What's under there?" asked Jade, arriving with Louis and pointing to the trap door. Lily shrugged.

"Just a series of empty chambers, as far as we know. Molly and Lucy have been trying to get through it for ages, but it won't budge."

"Never mind that," cut in Albus. "We're all here now. Let's get started."

"Hey, can we have chairs?" asked Molly.

"Yeah, we might be here a while," Lucy pointed out. Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're the seventh years! Why don't you conjure some?"

"Oh, right." With a wave of their wands, the room was full of simple chairs set in neat rows. Everyone took a seat and Albus went to stand at the front of the room.

I jumped, along with everyone else, as a hiss came from my left. All eyes turned towards where Lily was sitting next to me and Jade in the back of the room. Venom was sitting on her shoulders, apparently having been in her sleeve all along. She listened to whatever he was saying before shaking her head with a frown.

"We're trying not to do anything illegal here." I exchanged a look with Jade, just as the rest of the group did the same. Lily was still . . . talking . . . with Venom.

"Yes, I quite agree, but that's a bit harsh." More hissing from Venom. "That would work. Alright, let at it," she said as Venom slithered onto the floor and out a small hole in the door. Lily called something else after him in Parseltounge before turning back to the rest of us. "What?" she asked innocently at the slightly wary looks she was getting.

"That's incredibly creepy," said Louis in the tone of one stating the obvious. Lily smirked.

"I know."

"Lily, what is he doing?" asked Albus, sounding as if he wasn't quite sure that he wanted to know the answer.

"Who, Venom? Nothing, he's just going to scare Shell a bit." Albus sighed and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Something wrong with that? We are getting revenge, after all," said Lily, sounding for all the world like an ignorant child, though the gleam in her eyes told a different story.

"She's terrified of snakes," Andrew informed her, twisting in his seat to look at her oddly. "I thought everyone knew that." Lily raised an eyebrow.

"What ever makes you think that I didn't?" Albus cleared his throat.

"Right," he said as everyone turned back to him. "I don't have much to say, other than that come tomorrow you have free reign. Rose has convinced most of the prefects to turn a blind eye, so it's pretty much only the Professors you have to worry about." Everyone nodded in satisfaction. James was popular, even among the prefects, and nobody liked Shell all that much, besides her little clique of girls who were just like her: stuck-up, and self-absorbed. "Lily, what about the Slytherin prefects?" Lily smirked.

"Henry Nott knows not to mess with me, and the rest know not to mess with him. They'll leave you alone."

"Good. Now, just a couple rules –"

"Wait a minute, why are you in charge?" asked Freddie, as if suddenly realizing that he was listening to a boy two years his lesser. Jade answered.

"Because he's the only responsible one of you that doesn't take being so to an extreme." Several people opened their mouths to protest, but upon finding her words to be completely true, closed them again.

"Er . . . as I was saying," said Albus. "Don't do any permanent damage, and try to stay away from anything illegal. Have fun." Everyone in the room, even Rose, had an evil grin that said clearly 'Oh, we will.'

As they began to leave, huddled in small groups and whispering to each other, Albus caught Lily by the elbow. Jade and I shared a look before leaving after the others. As soon as the door swung shut behind us I turned and pressed my ear to it.

"Ava!" Jade hissed.

"Shush, I'm trying to listen."

"I just wanted to thank you, Lily," Albus was saying.

"You don't have to. I might not like you guys all the time, but you are family. I might be a Slytherin, but I'm no traitor." A traitor was the worst thing you could be in Lily's mind. You could be an idiot or a slob and she'd roll her eyes and write it off as a human fault. You could be a bully or a murderer and she would dislike you on principle. You could be a liar or a manipulator and she would study your technique. But if you were ever really, truly friends with someone, if they trusted you and you trusted them, and you betrayed them? Well, she would find it fitting if you died a horrible, painful death before burning in hell for all of eternity.

"I know that, Lily," Albus said earnestly, and if willing his sister to believe. "We all do. We don't believe any of what those people are saying."

"I _know_ that, Albus. I've grown up all my life with people telling me that they love me and that nothing would ever change that. But some people haven't." I knew at once that she was thinking of Scorpius.

"What do you mean?" asked Albus, sounding as if he wasn't quite sure that he wanted to know. I wasn't sure if I wanted to myself, and suddenly thought that maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. It was too late now, though. I could never walk away without hearing Lily's answer.

It was silent for a long time. I could almost see Lily, not looking at Albus, biting her lip with a conflicted expression on her face. Finally she spoke, and her words were unexpected.

"Did you know," she said slowly. "That over half of Slytherin house is abused in some way?" I hadn't known that. It scared me if I thought about it too much. That meant at least every eighth wizarding child in Britain was abused.

"No," said Albus, sounding just as disturbed as I was. "I didn't know that."

"Most of the rest have parents who are at least emotionally detached," continued Lily, almost as if she hadn't heard him. "They've had to learn ever since they can remember to stand on their own two feet. How to avoid fists and angry words, how to make their parents proud when the task seems impossible. Even just how to get enough food to survive. They've never known such a thing as unconditional love. It's a practical breeding ground for cunning."

"How do you know this stuff?" asked Albus.

"It's in the air. How do you know that Jason feels pressured by his dad or that Eva Zabini has the reputation of being a tart? Nobody's ever told you in so many words, you just know. I don't know any details. Just the basics of who's got it worse and who's royally screwed up because of it. There's only one person whom no one has any idea about. Either that or they just don't care." Her voice was tinged with bitterness, and I had an awful feeling that I knew who she was talking about.

"Who?" asked Albus warily.

"Scorpius Malfoy." Albus did the impossible and choked on thin air.

"I – _Malfoy?_ You don't think he's –"

"I don't know. It's not like I know him any more than anyone else does." That was a bald faced lie, and she knew it. "But then, even if he isn't by his parents, he is by the rest of the school. We all are." Albus sighed, suddenly sounding much older than fourteen.

"You're too young to be dealing with these sorts of things."

"Of course I am!" snapped Lily. "So is every other little first-year who happens to be sorted into Slytherin! It's not _right_!" I heard a clatter, as if she had kicked something. I was surprised by her outburst. She usually kept her emotions under tight guard. She sighed suddenly, and I could hear the anger go out of her. "It's not fair. But it _is_, and we have to deal with that reality."

"Lily . . ." Albus sounded both at desperate to help his sister in some way, and at loss for something to say.

"Don't, Albus. I shouldn't have vented at you like that. There's nothing you can do about it. Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Don't tell anyone else about this. Especially not Dad. You know how he gets."

"Alright, Lily. But you should tell someone. An adult, someone who could help." His tone was imploring, and I felt a stab of pity for him. I knew, at least to some degree, how protective he was of her.

I heard footsteps coming towards the door, and barely managed to yank Jade around the corner before it swung open. The footsteps paused.

"Okay guys, you can come out now."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Of Internal Debates and Howlers

_Jade's PoV:_

_I should tell someone . . . her parents or something . . ._

Lily hadn't been mad at us, but she made us promise not to tell anyone about her outburst.

"_No you shouldn't. You promised. She'd see it as a betrayal, and then she'd hate you." _Bob was back. He always showed up just in time for these internal debates.

_But I can't leave Lily alone in this! _

"_You're not leaving her alone. She'll have you two, and her brother. Besides, if anyone should tell her parents it's him."_

_Al would never do that. I like him a lot, but he needs people to approve of him, especially his family. You know that. He wouldn't risk his relationship with Lily._

"_He's a Gryffindor. Aren't they the brave ones? The ones willing to risk things?"_

_Yes, but you can't expect them to be superhuman._

"_Then why should anyone expect you to be? If Lily wanted help, she would have asked for it."_

_I suppose . . . _

"_It's settled then." _

Somehow, I didn't think it was.

**-DT-**

"Alright, so how are we going to get back at Shell?" asked Lily. It was after dinner and we were in the Lair, making Plans of Vengeance (™). Lily was trying, very successfully, to act as if nothing had happened.

"You mean besides having Venom make her scream so loud that everyone in the castle probably heard?" asked Ava dryly. Apparently Venom had a dramatic streak, and had hidden himself in the basket of rolls in front of Shell's usual seat, emerging right as she reached for one. By the time the resulting chaos had died down, he had slipped away, leaving no evidence to connect the incident to Lily in any way.

"Of course," said Lily with a smirk.

"We could do something like you did to James last year," I suggested, deciding – for the moment at least – to follow her lead and act normally. "That thing with the hair?"

"Except make hers a really nasty, greenish sort of color," added Ava.

"No, someone else would have come up with that already," said Lily with a frown. "We have to think of something creative. Something unconventional."

_Translation: something utterly evil that only Lily would ever think to do._

"Are you thinking big bang, or slow and subtle?" asked Ava, a thoughtful look on her face.

_I think that I am in a room with the two most frightening girls at Hogwarts. God help me._

"I'm not sure."

"Everyone else will probably go for the big bang," I pointed out, ignoring the part of me that was screaming not to give them ideas. "And subtle would be harder to get you in trouble for."

"You're right, that's a great idea! Will you help me research, Opal? Some sort of potion, probably, they're best for the subtle work."

"Okay," I agreed. "But we can't do anything _really_ bad."

"Aw, mum," whined Ava with a fake pout. I shot her a half-hearted glare before turning back to Lily.

"I'll help you research, but since I'm doing that, I won't be able to help you two with your homework."

Lily shrugged. "That makes sense. I can get Scorpius to help me anyway."

Ava gave a dramatic sigh. "I suppose I'll just scrape by as best I can and hope I don't fail," she said in a dejected tone.

"Drama queen."

**-DT-**

The next day would be spoken about for generations as an example of what happens when you get the entire Weasley clan pissed off at you.

First there was the general hostility towards Shell. There were enough Weasleys running around that most people were friendly with at least one, with a tendency to take their side in things. Even the Slytherins were a bit more antagonistic than usual, perhaps because of some weird sense of loyalty to Lily, perhaps simply because it was an excuse to have a go at a first-class snob.

Then there were the simple pranks. The ones played by the younger Weasleys or the less experienced. As Lily had predicted, someone had cursed Shell's hair a rather interesting shade of puce, along with a few other alterations to her appearance. There was nothing drastic or permanent (as far as I could tell), but enough to have her in tears when she caught a look in the mirror.

Last of all were the more advanced pranks. Someone (I was guessing James' friends or Molly and Lucy) had slipped something into her breakfast that made her sing rather terribly when ever she tried to say something. Someone else (probably whoever hadn't done the last) did something that made her belch everything she said, resulting in what sounded like someone very drunk trying to turn their life into a musical. I hadn't known that it was possible for anyone to turn so many shades of red.

All in all, the Weasley clan (minus Lily) set a new record for detentions handed out in one day, and Slytherin was very quickly put in the lead for House Cup. Everyone knew, of course, that Lily _must_ have done _something_, as she was looking far too smug not to have, but no one could prove anything. Proof, Lily informed us, was sometimes the only thing separating a criminal and a successful business man (or woman).

**-DT-**

The Weasleys appeared to like setting records. Along with the Most War Heroes in one family, the Most Detentions Handed out in one day, and the Unofficial Worst Singing Resulting From a Bet (a perfect example of someone having too much pride to retain any dignity), on the morning after the – ahem – series of unfortunate incidents involving Kathleen Shell, they (with help from James' friends and Ava) set the record for the Most Howlers Received in One Day.

"Bloody hell," I muttered as I watched over a dozen owls bearing scarlet envelopes settle in front of their recipients and hastily take off again.

"_You can say that again."_

"Bloody hell," I repeated, invoking a few weird looks from the people around me.

"_At least when they all go off at once we won't be able to hear what they're saying."_

_Somehow, I think the senior Weasleys are smarter than that. _I was right. The apprehensive silence as the Weasley children (plus some) stared warily at the smoking envelopes in front of them was broken by only one voice.

"ROSE HERMIONE WEASLEY, I AM SEVERELY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU!" And so it continued, one after another, until we were all mostly deaf and there was only one left. A rather pale Lily flinched as the letter before her exploded.

"LILY LUNA POTTER, DON'T YOU TRY TO PLAY INNOCENT! YOUR FATHER AND I KNOW PERFECTLY WELL THAT YOU HAD SOME HAND IN THIS!"

"_Well, that was loud," _commented Bob in the ringing silence that followed.

_Thank you so much for that insightful observation, Bob._

"_Sarcasm? You've been hanging around too many Slytherins."_

_Speaking of which, Lily seems to be taking it well. _Lily was calmly buttering a piece of toast as if nothing had happened, and as I watch she muttered something in the ear of Rhea Nott, who smirked.

"_Of course she is. Did you expect her to burst into tears? None of her relatives even look anything beyond half-deaf and embarrassed." _I glanced around, noting that the other Weasleys were indeed showing no hint of remorse.

_Well, I just hope Lily isn't taking it worse than she's letting on. It would be just like her to act perfectly normal when she's really feeling like crap. _


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

November ended and so did the crisp autumn air bringing the frozen piercing wind with it. Ava, Jade and I were getting closer and I was becoming an even bigger topic of gossip. I could walk down the corridor and hear my name more times than anything. I was, for once, glad that Christmas vacation was coming. I would miss Scorpius, Ava, and Jade but I would see them in no time. It wouldn't be long before January was here and I was praying for the Summer again.

I was on the train home, drawing a picture of Ava and Jade in 'The Lair' while Scorpius watched.

"So who's getting off first?" Scorpius asked me.

"Why can't our parents know we're friends? What's so bad about us?" I asked, not looking up.

"Because it's not something they would accept." He said as the train slowed to a stop. I started shoving my things into the black bag that held all of my important belongings.

"Well then," I got up and hoisted my bag onto my shoulders. "They'll just have to get over it."

"Lily we've been over this. It's just something you have to accept." I glared at Scorpius before throwing all my contents into a bag.

"Well that's something I'm going to change. No one should be restricted because of things their parents did. If anything our parents should at least like each other. Without those two Hogwarts would have been dead boring." I said pulling the hair tie out of my head and smoothening it down with my fingers.

"Not likely. I'm pretty sure that if they ran out of things to do they could always go into the room of requirement and see what kind of mischief they could get into." Scorpius looked at me pointedly and I raised my eyebrows.

"Have you been following me?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"It depends on if you're angry or not." He retorted and I rolled my eyes.

"So lets go." I said as the train pulled to a stop. I got up and started to move towards the compartment door but Scorpius stopped me.

"We are not going out there at the same time. Our parents would end up on the front page of the Prophet."

"Mainly the men but yes I see what you mean. What if I told you that it was crucial to a plan that involved getting revenge on Shell?"

"What could I possibly have to do with Shell?"  
"That's for me to know and you to never find out. Lets go." I said pulling him by the wrist as we walked off the train side-by-side.

Every Magical creature was in silence. Anyone that knew anything about the Potter/Weasly clan and their relationship with the Malfoys had turned to stare at us. Scorpius nudged me and nodded in the direction of his father who had a livid expression on his face. But he wasn't my concern. My mind reeled as I finally found the bright green eyes of my father and what his expression held.

**~DT~**

**So there's my first try at this story. Let me know if I did Lily's Character wrong or if I could do anything to improve.**


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